


Life Ever After

by rebel_raven



Series: Life's A Game, Life's a Joke... Fuck it, Why Not Go for Broke? [2]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: ALL THE PTSD, ASL, Aftermath of Torture, Alcholism, All the characters are human, Almost sexual assualt, Alphys is not to be trifled with, And an amazing father, And gore, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Asexual Character, Asgore is a fluffy dad who's overprotective, Athletic Competitons, BSL, Backstory, Baking competitions, Blood, Buckets of Blood and Gore in places, But he's also psychotic, Cause there's a lot of both, Chara Is Their Own Warning, Chara and Frisk are Siblings, Depression, Did I Mention Angst?, Dual ending exploreed, Everyone else is a little lost, F/F, F/M, Fluff with Angsty Ending, Fluff with Fluffy Endings, Gaster is psychotic, Gay, Graphic Descriptions of Torture, Graphic Violence, Grillby and Sans fail to everyone else, Grillby backstory, Grillby is a War Veteran, Grillby is protetive, Grillby is sassy, Hands (Undertale), Holidays, Human Experimentation, Hurt/Comfort, Insomnia, James is so done, M/M, Mafia boss Gaster, Mental Health Counseling, Mentions of Past Attempted Rape, Multi, Nightmares, Non-Binary Frisk and Chara, Open to suggestions, PTSD, Pain, Papyrus is done with everyone, Physical Trauma, Poetry, Polyamorous Character, Psychological Trauma, SO MANY WEDDINGS, Sad endgins, Sans and Papyrus backstory, Sans is overprotective, Selectively Mute Frisk, Sexual Content, Sick Fic, Slice of Life, Song Lyrics, Spy and Secret Agents, Suicide Attempt, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Toriel is BAMF, Trauma, Underground, Undyne is a softie, Various character backstory, War, Weddings, and a lot of angst, and fluff, and fluff?, domestic life, happy endings, mafia, one shots, puns, so many feels, so many puns
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-12
Updated: 2017-01-31
Packaged: 2018-09-08 02:28:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 52,904
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8826844
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rebel_raven/pseuds/rebel_raven
Summary: Sondern.The realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own—populated with their own ambitions, friends, routines, worries and inherited craziness—an epic story that continues invisibly around you like an anthill sprawling deep underground, with elaborate passageways to thousands of other lives that you’ll never know existed, in which you might appear only once, as an extra sipping coffee in the background, as a blur of traffic passing on the highway, as a lighted window at dusk.Have you ever wondered what made the characters at Under Tale who they are? What brought them to Under Tale? Or what happened to them afterwards? What about when the story ended, what there was left to say? Or, maybe, what made them who they were? Do you want to find out?





	1. Green Eyes, Bloody Hands, and Blue Lips

**Author's Note:**

> Well, I did say I was going to do a series of one-shots for Heaven in a Bottle, Hell in Drowning Memory, so here we are!! Sorry it took so long; I've been amassing ideas that I've been wanting to explore and write about, but I love to hear from you guys! What do you want to know more about? Leave me a comment and I will see what I can do! Just like in HIAB,HIDM I am my own beta so if you see any grammar, spelling, plot, or general confusion, leave me a comment and I will be sure to fix it soon as possible! Each chapter will be a different section of characters, so there won't be any real continuity like in Heaven in a Bottle; however, as these are supposed to be one-shots but you guys want to see more of one story, I may extend a few to be two or three chapters instead of dumping huge piles of text for you to read. That being said, up first is Gerard and Roman's backstory! I will be launching into all the characters, my dear readers, so no character is off limits, though I will try to keep it centralized to our Under Tale cast, though I am serious about no character being off limits. Also, PLEASE READ THE TAGS. There's some really screwed up shit in a few chapters that I will try not to focus on entirely but will be mentioned and blocked by bold ++++ at the start and end of such events. If anything bothers you, I will be including a clincal version in the end notes. That being said,  
> TRIGGER WARNINGS: LIVING ON THE STREETS AS CHILDREN, UNDERAGE, MILD SELF IMPOSED STARVATION (not anorexia, G is willingly going without food some days so Roman can eat), BLOOD, GUNS, MENTIONS OF POSSIBLE PROSTITUTION, ILLNESS, AND GORE.  
> As always, kudos make my day, comments make my month and bookmarks make me happy. I will try to update as often as possible but I have finals and the holidays coming up so updates will be pretty erratic.  
> Alright, enough from me! On with the story!  
> No, wait, I lied!  
> DISCLAIMER!!! I OWN NOTHING!!! UNDERTALE BELONGS TO TOBY FOX, I OWN NOTHING, aside from the plot of this series and all OC's, I OWN NOTHING!!!  
> Okay, now on with the story!!  
> I hope all is well and that you enjoy the fic!
> 
> -RR

I was a smart boy, even at a young age. I was clever, and I was very good at finding things people could never have seen, and I was fast, I was strong and I was a very fast learner. I was a good boy, Papa would say, as  he cleaned my bloody hands, showing me how to clean all the congealed blood off the knife so not a trace could be found, how to flick it off with a stylized flick of the wrist. I was the best boy, Ma would say, as I walked Roman to and from school, taking a different route each day, avoiding the police because they were bad bad people who would take us away from our parents, they would take Roman away from me. I looked down at the five year old who was yammering on about what he did in kindergarten that day and I could feel a swell of pride bloom in my chest as Roman talked. He was so quiet around people it was a wonder he talked at all.

But for all my cleverness, Roman was far more clever. He could wrap you around his little finger with a few words and a sweet, guileless smile, his green eyes wide and innocent. He would lead you along, make you believe that he was the sweetest child, the most well behaved child. He could make you believe anything, anything at all. I would always feel pride bloom in my chest whenever Roman would come running to me at the end of a long school day, his eyes sparking with actual emotion, not the manipulative light that was usually there. My little brother was too precious for words, and I would never ever allow anyone to take him away. Papa and Mama had told me time and time again that if anything happened, I was to worry about Roman and myself, that they’d catch up if they could and if not, head towards Colorado and look for the Fonts, specifically Calibri. Never trust the police, ever. They’d catch us and hurt us, they’d catch me and separate me and Roman. And that couldn’t happen. Not ever. I would never allow it.

“Brother, are ya even listnenin’ to me?” My five-year-old brother asked suddenly, tugging on my hand. I squeezed his smaller, mitten-clad hand and nodded.

“Yup. Ya were talkin’ bout school an’ how ya got top marks on your math test. Again. And how ya made the shittiest person in class cry. I’m so proud of ya, baby bones.” Roman giggled when I swore and blushed at the childish nickname.

“How come you’re not a baby bones?” he asked, taking the time to pronounce his words instead of slurring them together in a rush, though they came out thick and heavy, like they were weighted. 

“Cause I’m the older brother!” I said with a smirk, ruffling my younger brother’s hair and Roman whined and batted at my arms, trying to get free. I laughed and kneeled down so my back was in front of Roman, my backpack hanging off one shoulder.

“Think you can hang on?” Roman squealed with delight and jumped on my back, clutching to my neck in a vice grip that nearly choked, but I grinned and bore it; it made Roman happy, so I could deal with the slight pain. I hiked him up a little, situating him on my back, and took off at a steady jog towards home. I shortcutted through an alleyway, putting Roman down so I could jump up ontop of the dumpster and reach the fire escape and pulled it down with my bodyweight, legs dangling low enough for Roman to jump up and latch himself to my shins. I curled legs up for Roman to reach the second rung, knees bent for him to use as a stepping block so he could start to climb the metal ladder. I waited until Roman reached the first platform to start climbing myself and reached him in relatively short order, ignoring the burn in my legs and the bite of freezing metal against my unprotected hands. I had given my mittens to Roman after he lost his and hadn’t gotten around to replacing them just yet. I hadn’t told Ma or Pa when I’d given them to my little brother, as it would be a little difficult to explain WHY  my little brother lost them and I’d rather not say.

“Go on up, baby bones. I’ll be right behind you.” I nudged Roman with my hip and he nodded, starting to climb up the rest of the stairs before he reached the eighth floor platform and opened the window, slipping in easily, me right behind him. Roman tugged off his shoes and flung his backpack on his bed, the race car printed sheets and solar system covers a neat turn over, just as my own bed, a set of deep green covers and floral printed sheets - which were usually a mess - were neatly tucked in and organized.

‘ _Ma musta cleaned our room…_ ’ I thought with a small blush of shame. I’d meant to clean the room up myself but Papa had made me stay up late, practicing with a gun. I shucked off my own shoes and dropped my backpack under the window. As I turned around to close it behind me, there was a sudden _crash_ and a muffled curse from ma that had me running for the kitchen, window forgotten.

 “Ma?! Mama!?” I yelled, running through the halls towards the kitchen, fear making my heart pound like it was going to burst. However, as I skidded to a halt just before the doorway, my socked feet sliding against the hardwood and shoulder slamming into the wall by the doorframe, there was no reason to worry. There, on her hands and knees with a dustpan and wet cloth was Ma, her bright, near white, blonde hair held back in a loose braid, bright, warm shirt which would no doubt have some sort of song lyric or picture that she would have printed on herself, her paint and blood splattered jeans hugging her lithe form. She blew a few strands of hair away from her face and huffed, leaning back on her haunched, glaring at the mess she was picking up, food splattered amongst the shattered ceramic. She smiled brightly when she saw me, however, and waved the hand that had the cloth, the rag making a wet _sluap_ sound against her wrist as it swung around.

 “Oh, you’re home Gerard! Sorry about the sound, sweetheart, I accidentally dropped a dish for dinner. Be careful, alright? Have you seen your brother?” I let out a breath and shook my head.

“He was with me when I came in through the fire escape. I haven’t seen him since.”

“Hmn.. Roman! Roman, where are you sweetheart?” she called, voice pitched a little louder than her usual soothing tone.

“In the librabry, Mama!” Roman called back.

“He’s with me!” came Papa’s voice at the same time and I smiled, face splitting into a large grin. I loved it when Papa was home; when he wasn’t teaching me how to fight, he was teaching me how to read new languages, let me read in his study with him as Roman drew scribbles on paper. He would even read to us at night if Ma was busy, which was rare but still. It was nice.

“Well, I guess we’re ordering pizza for tonight. I worked all day on that damn lasagna.” Ma sighed and shook her head.

“Alright, I’ll clean this mess up, you go see your papa, okay hijo?”

 “Si, Mama.” And I scampered away, grinning full force, as I sprinted to the stairs that lead to the library loft. There was Papa, Roman sitting on his lap at his desk, a clean piece of paper out in front of him as he sketched and scribbled away, tongue poking out as he tried to concentrate on whatever he was creating then. I  smiled and felt pride bloom once more; Roman, for a five year old, was actually a rather talented artist. He created sloppy recreations of still objects, but they were still far better than what I could ever hope to produce, and I would forever think my younger brother perfect for it.

“Hi, Papa.” I said as Papa stretched out a large, dark calloused hand to rub at my hair, his tanned face stretching out in a gentle smile.

“Bon jour, my son. How was school?” I shrugged and Papa blinked, lips pursing in the way they did when he was thinking about something.

“Did something happen, Gerard?”

“Non, Papa.” I sighed, leaning against the desk.

“Hmn, that’s a very serious expression for a ten-year-old. What happened, Arial?” I let out another sigh and shrugged.

 “I tried to tell a girl I liked her ribbons an’ she said I was being stupid. I told her I could even braid her hair cause Mama taught me how but she wasn’ happy."

“Gerard, what have I said? Enunciate your words, my son. You’re not going to be very scary to monsters if you sound like a common thug.”

“Sorry Papa…” I mumbled, face blooming in slight shame before Papa laughed and drew me near, his calloused hands wrapping around my shoulders as he stared me in the eyes, his deep, brown eyes searching my green ones. He was bent awkwardly to one side, trying to keep Ro in his lap properly, but he was still much, much bigger than me and he made even the awkward lean to his body imposing.

“My son, listen to me. One day, you are going to take over what we have here. One day, you are going to meet Doctor Gaster and Calibri, and you will understand why you must speak like a gentleman. What do I always say?” I followed the bulge of muscle from his thick arms up to his shoulders, so strong, so invincible, a mountain, to his eyes once more, his face set in a craggy stone of determination.

“Always be what people expect when they hear you speak, never let them see behind the mask and always be stronger and smarter. If one thing doesn’t work, try another and another until the problem is solved. Never be the rabbit for long.” Papa smiled now, his features changing drastically to a light, warm expression.

“That’s my boy.  Roman, would you like to learn how to punch tonight, after supper?” Roman hummed and nodded, turning from his drawing to look over his shoulder at Papa, eyes alight with curiosity and wonder, but also that calculative, speculative look he got whenever the family business was mentioned.  

“Course, Papa! I always want to learn!” Papa laughed, a thunderous rumble that could be a lions roar. Papa was a lion; he was so brave and he would never ever fail. He always kept us safe, he always kept us happy. We lived in an apartment, he told me, to keep us safe. If you lived flashy, then people noticed. If you lived poor, people saw another face in the crowd. We had nice things, and the apartment was very large, and very homey, filled with paintings from a woman I’d never met, but one of Ma’s best friends, named Calibri. Papa was a friend of Doctor Gaster, who I’d heard once. He was impressed when I answered the phone in French and talked to me for a few minutes before Papa came and took the call. Papa told me later that Doctor Gaster had been impressed that I didn’t sound like a little kid, but like a grown up, and that I didn’t tell him if Papa or Ma were there cause I didn’t know him. He said Doctor Gaster would like to meet me some time when I was a little older. I felt big and strong at the praise, like I could take on the world.

“Arial? Gerard? Are you paying attention?”

“Oh, no. Sorry, Papa.”

“It’s alright. Now-” he never finished his sentence. There was a sudden crash from downstairs and muffled yelling from Mama and Papa’s face went from gentle and soft, familiar, to hard and worried, an expression I didn’t see on him. Ever. Papa wasn’t supposed to be afraid, Papa was supposed to be strong, and brave, and never ever back down. That’s what he drilled into my head over and over; Patcher’s were strong, they were brave and they were never afraid. Ever. 

“Boys, go and hide. Now. Hide and seek.” I grabbed Roman’s hand and nodded, running down the back staircase towards the main landing, footsteps light as I could make them. Roman was staring at me with wide eyes, tears gathering at the corners even though he tried to wipe them away and keep from sniffling, his footsteps louder and slightly clumsy. I picked him up and ran for our room, trying to avoid the sound of people talking. But, in the end, it didn’t matter. A hand came out of nowhere and snatched the back of my neck. It was thick and muscular and smooth, like they’d never fought a day in their lives, where Papa’s hands were warm and calloused, familiar and comfortable when they were clasped around mine, or ruffling my hair, holding me in a hug, guiding me through the motions of a punch… This hand was cold, but like the man had just come from the outside and hadn’t worn any mittens. Roman let out a wail as I dropped him and yelled,

“Ro, run!” he rolled out of the way of another pair of feet and made a mad dash for our room but there was no escape, it seemed. Another hand came and slapped Roman hard enough to send him sprawling across the floor, his head knocking into the wall as he let out a muffled cry. 

“Jesus Christ, these brats keep coming, don’t they? Oh well, no point in keeping them away from their parents.” The owner of the hand that was squeezing around my neck said, his voice grating. I could feel something simmering low in my belly, something that felt too deep to be simple emotion. I couldn’t breathe properly… Though, that may have been because of the hand clenching my spine and part of my throat.

“Ohohoho, take a look at Junior’s eyes, Matty. He looks like he’s a regular little spitfire. Runt doesn’t look like much, though. Hmnph, one hit knocked him straight out. Won’t be good for much. Maybe a toy, but eh.” That feeling started to burn hotter and hotter. I was picked up as Roman was slung over the other man’s shoulder. They carried us to the kitchen; I didn’t make a sound, unable to speak past the razors in my throat and the dark feelings that were twisting my belly, like a wet rag turned tighter and tighter until there was nothing else left but a knot that was waiting to be unraveled and slapped across flesh. I’d seen Papa do it once, when I was younger. He let me tighten the knots too…

“Here you go, boss. Two more brats.” We were dumped in the kitchen, right across from Mama and Papa, who were glaring at the men who held us.

“Let my sons go, you sons of bitches! I swear to fucking Christ, I will kill you the minute I get out of this! I’m going to wear your entrails as a scarf, I’ll knit your cornea into that scarf and I’ll use your fucking stomachs as a purse!” Mama screeched, her eyes blazing, shoulders shaking as Papa stared, stoic and simmering, at the men. They dumped me and Ro on the kitchen table, their smirks wide as they started talking about something I didn’t care about. All I cared about was finding a way to get Roman out of this situation. Mama and Papa would catch up, they always said they would. I had to take care of Roman, no matter what. No matter what. Through the ringing in my ears, I heard “Doctor Gaster is such a nice man, letting you keep your boys. But, our boss ain’t so nice and you’re in our turf.”

“This is Font turf, you moron! We own this section!”

“Well, we’re shouldering in, bitch! Shut your goddamn mouth!” I looked over just as a gun went off and Papa let out a bellow. There was grey and red all over the floor, like when Mama dropped dinner not even twenty minutes ago. She dropped to the side, anger and shock written across her face as Papa kept screaming in French. I don’t remember what happened next, aside from brief flashes. There was another shot, another thud, and some laughter… There was a knife and someone screaming, I think it was me. I remember slicing something and warmth splattering across my face… I don’t remember how many times it happened. I remember Roman grabbing my hand, his voice plaintive, begging me to follow him. I did. There was just numb, then cold then freezing cold, as we ran. And ran and ran and ran. I don’t remember how far we got, or where we were, but Roman stopped after some time and made me sit down.

“Brother? Gerard, are you alright?” I blinked and nodded, feeling hollow. 

“Ro…” My voice creaked, heavy with unshed tears and the phantom weight of that unknown emotion rolling through my throat still, my stomach still knotted and tangled to pieces.

“Roman, where are we?” I asked, looking around. There was nothing but tall buildings and snow melt around us, slush settling into my feet.

“I-I don’t know… I-I just ran…” I stood up on shaky legs and looked around, but there was nothing to tell me where we were but slushy snow, tall, dark buildings that blotted out the skyline, and street lights on the main stretch. And a bloody knife in my hand.

“Well, I don’t think Mama and Papa are going to catch up to us this time, Ro…” I could feel tears starting to slide down my cheeks as I sloshed through the snow to a puddle and washed my face, hands and the knife, sticking it into my pocket and turning back to Roman. He was leaning against the brick wall, looking numb and a little worn. I thanked our lucky stars that he had grabbed our shoes and coats, and probably while I was in that hazy fog state, had put on my shoes and coat. I went over to him and zipped up his coat before gathering him into my arms and walking out of the alleyway.

“Come on, let’s go find some place to sleep for the night.

**++++++**

“Brother…. Brother!” Roman’s voice came through the haze of light sleep I’d allowed myself to fall into. I was instantly awake, though my head was pounding and I felt dizzy from lack of food, my stomach moaning at the lack of… Anything really, and my head hurt, my throat burned. But there was money in my pocket, that’s all that mattered.  

“Brother, please… we need to move again. The police dogs came searching for us again...” I grimaced and stood, cracking my knuckles, which were bruised and bloody, shivering slightly as snow melt slithered down my spine. February was not a forgiving month, not in the slightest, even when we constantly had fresh clothes.

Three weeks ago, we’d been turned out of the shelter due to it being over full, past capacity. The workers had given us pitying stares, and offered to take Roman in for the night, as they had room for one more mouth but I wasn’t going to let us be separated. We’d survived two months on the street on our own; we could do it for longer if we had to. The police had sent out an amber alert for us and every paper across the nation plastered our faces across the front pages, every news station carried some word of the two surviving Patcher children, missing and alone, in the Big City. Well, we weren’t there anymore. We’d found a rail yard that had trains running straight through to Denver and we hopped on the first one we could. That was last month. And it was still freezing cold.

“Come on, Ro. Want to grab some food? I think I have enough to get you something tasty and warm.” Roman nodded and latched onto my hand as we darted out of our hiding spot; a dry space beneath some stairs, our warm and dirty coats used as blankets. We didn’t have the luxury of hoarding blankets and places to sleep like the homeless adults and older kids did, though when we ran into them, the nicer ones gave us some food to eat and a place to sleep, free of charge.

We roamed from place to place, never sticking around for very long due to the police still looking for us and whoever killed our parents probably looking for us as well; it didn’t matter we were in Colorado, it didn’t matter that I was desperate to find anything I could do to pay to feed my baby brother, it didn’t matter that each night I slept with Roman curled against my stomach so I could protect him and it didn’t matter that we hadn’t heard of a Doctor Gaster since we got to Denver, but I wasn’t going to stop till Roman was safe. All I wanted was Roman to be safe. 

“Gerard, I want you to eat too…” Roman had been working hard to get rid of his Brooklyn accent, though his words were still heavy with the accent, his mannerisms were slowly shifting as he watched people in a park, his voice slowly changing as he copied what strangers said, whispered under his breath. 

“I’ll be fin-”

“No, you won’t be! You always give me more food! You're lips are kinda blue, too! And… I heard you coughing last night. You sound worse, brother.” I sighed and rubbed at my chest, my lungs burning from the biting cold. 

“I’m gonna be a’ight, Ro. Trust me, baby bones. Everythin’ will be fine.”

“But-" 

“But nothing! I’m the older brother, so you have to listen to me.” I snipped, cutting him off. Roman glared, brushing his long, stringy blonde hair out of his face and huffed. But he still took my hand when I offered it a moment later, just as we reached the main street, the early commuter crowd starting to hustle around us. A few people gave us strange looks, seeing as two kids without an adult was more than a little strange, but it didn’t matter. All that mattered was that we got something to eat that wasn’t dragged out of a dumpster from behind a restaurant. I dragged Roman into the closest convenience store and let him wander to find something he wanted to eat.

I hung around the front, browsing through magazines, feeling something roll in the pit of my stomach at the sight of young kids, Roman’s age maybe, in warm winter clothes playing with snow, their cheeks ruddy red with joy and cold, not tear tracks and biting wind, their eyes bright and no bruise like bags hanging underneath them. Their cheeks were full and healthy, not like Roman who had a gaunt look to his face, a hunted look in his eyes even when I tried to stay up most the night so he could sleep. He was a little kid, he needed it more than I did. Something was dragging at my lungs, making it difficult to breathe properly but I shook it off. There was nothing to be done but absorb the feeble warmth from the store and hope that it was enough to keep Roman warm, and maybe defrost the cold lump that was starting to grow in the back of my throat, like I were going to be sick or like I was choking.

“Brother?” Roman was next to me, eyes wide, voice laced with accent and fear. I smiled and waved him off, noticing he had a plastic bag with two bottles of water and some pretzels. I was about to ask him where he got the money when he was dragging me out of the store and down the street, dodging people easily as if he could sense where they would step next. I couldn’t see very well, so having him as my eyes was a blessing. I can’t remember how far or where we walked to, but maybe it was because my mind was fogging over and it was getting hard to breathe, my vision going hazy at the edges.

“Brother? Gerard? G!!” Oh… I was sitting down now. I looked around, taking in a fuzzy, vague shape of dumpsters or maybe bridge supports. I couldn’t tell the difference, everything was too dark to tell. My lungs started to fight against a cough I didn’t realize I was holding down, the sound wet and ragged even in my own ears. A wet hack and something warm splattered across my fingers, dripping into the snow and possible muck underneath me. I kept coughing, no matter what I did. Roman looked terrified, his face going paler than before, if that were possible. I couldn’t breathe… I couldn’t speak, even as I tried to tell Roman that I was fine, even as I tried to assure him that everything was going to be alright, I couldn’t. I could hear someone begging, screaming… I wanted to tell him that he needed to be quiet or else someone was going to find us. Again.

I didn’t want to lose him, I couldn’t lose Roman. I gasped for air, something thick and tangy coating my mouth, thicker than I remember it ever being before. Blood wasn’t supposed to be thick… I fell to my side, gasping and shaking, struggling to breathe, battling with the need to tell Roman everything would be okay and knowing that nothing was alright. I heard footsteps, heavier than Roman’s… Did Roman leave? I struggled to get my feet only to fall to my side, the sharp cold lancing through my numbness, clearing my vision just enough to see a very feminine shape in a thick coat above me, their expression blurry. I stopped coughing blood, the thick fluid dribbling over my lips and sinking into my tastebuds, as a voice filtered through the cotton in my ears,

“Oh my god… Poor thing! You must be the brother! Come on, darling, it will be okay. Trust me, baby bones, it will be okay.” It sounded almost like Mama was speaking, and had I seen her brain coating the floor I would have fantasized it were true.

“Shh, it’s okay dear one. Don’t you worry about a thing, I’ll take care of you. Dear! Over here!” And then I was being picked up. My body just gave in, no longer able to breathe properly, and I fell unconscious.

**+++++**

I came too slowly, noticing first that I could breathe easily, and that there was only a slight drag at my chest, like I was sick with a stuffed up nose instead of whatever I had been coughing up… However long ago. I shifted, the soft give of a mattress beneath me comforting and familiar as if I were home. But there was not smell of home in the air; no flowery-wood smoke overlaying gunsmoke, no harsh tang of citrus with subtle scent of lilacs and melted sugar. There was a kind of spice overlaying fresh linen and dirt after rain, and underneath that the stench of bleach and cleaning chemicals instead. Slowly, I opened my eyes and looked around the room; it was mostly blank, cream walls with several monitors hooked into my arm, a few IV lines and other sharp needles laying on a metal tray near the bed. I was wearing something soft, but obviously too big.

‘ _Where am I?_ ’ I wondered, tugging at the plain white shirt that practically slipped off my shoulders, though the sweatpants were the right size, or I had simply shrunk.

 ‘ _Am I in a hospital?_ ’ I shuddered at the thought. I hated hospitals. They were just factories for the sick, dying and dead. I leaned slowly into the pillows, noting the windows that lead outside were whited out with snow, and winced. Leaving was going to be difficult, that was for damn sure… I rubbed at my skin, feeling off. Then, I realized why; instead of feeling the slight layer of grime and sweat that had grown on me in the past two months, I felt smooth, clean skin, little hairs on my arm soft as peach fuzz in the summer, and my hair felt lighter, softer, like I had taken a bath and washed my hair. I blinked, looking around once more and froze. There, in the doorway, was a woman, possibly the same figure I saw before I passed out, a tray with food in her hands, a shocked expression on her face. Slowly, she came into the room and set the tray of food on the table and slowly turned back to me, like I was a cornered animal. And maybe I was.

I growled as I glared at the woman who slowly approached me, but it quickly turned into a wet cough, body bending double as I struggled to breathe through the fit, my lungs protesting as my mind spun, eyes watering harshly.

"Hey, it's okay sweetheart. Here, breathe in-" something was against my lips and, desperate, I did as the woman instructed. There was a rush of something almost sweet and metallic and I could breathe...

"There you go, little bones. There you go, that's it. Just breathe. It's okay, it's all going to be okay. My name is Calibri, I was a friend of your mother. I'm so sorry you've had to suffer, my dear. Don't you worry now, Mama Cali is going to make everything alright. My husband, Gaster, he's with your brother-"

"Roman! Where's Roman?! Where is he, give me back my brother!" I gasped, trying to be intimidating and failing fairly epically.

"Whoa honey, it's okay. It's okay. Gaster is a doctor and a damn good one. Roman’s just getting a simple checkup to be sure he's okay and then he'll be right here, okay?"

"I want my brother," I said, finally getting my voice back, and after living on the streets for several months, constantly watching out for danger, and the way Papa had trained me… Well, it made me look fierce and more than a little unsettling. I could see it in her expression, though Calibri nodded and smiled, gentle and sweet, like Mama used to. Before I could demand to see Roman or ask how she knew Mama, there was a very familiar voice at the doorway.

"Gerard! G!" There was a small bundle of energy running towards me and leaping onto the bed . Roman clutched at my shirt, shaking and sobbing as he clung to me.

"Hey, it's okay, it's okay. I'm going to be alright, Ro. There's nothing to worry bout, a'ight? I'm fine, trust me. Everything is going to be okay, I promise." I soothed, running my hands in slow patterns up and down his back. I could barely understand Roman, his entire body shaking with the force of his tears, voice muffled by shoving his face into my chest.

"I-I-I thought you were g-going to d-die, G... I-I can't lose you! Please, don’t die!"

"Well, your brother will be alright, little Roman. Despite being unconscious for several days, he should make a full recovery and we have more than enough medicine to keep him healthy. It was simply an asthma attack that went untreated." A deep, rich voice soothed from the doorway. I looked up and held Roman closer, protectively curling my body around him. But, I knew that voice. I’d heard it over the phone, once, so many months ago. Everything clicked into place in my mind after that; if I could be useful, then they'd keep up safe.

"Doctor Gaster..." I mumbled. I don't know if it was because I was just starting to breathe again or because I was in some kind of shock, but the doctor simply smiled and nodded. 

"Hello my dear Arial, or is your true name Gerard?"

"Papa named me Gerard but he called me Arial when we worked. Said it kept me safe." I shrugged, still rubbing Roman’s back and one hand making small circles on the nape of his neck. He shuddered a few times, sobs turning to hiccup's, shoulders heaving as he fought to calm down.

"That it does, little one." A few beats of silence as Romans  hiccuping breaths, punctuated with the occasional sob, slowly tapered off to even, steady breathing and he fell asleep, curling one hand into my too large shirt, resting his tear stained face against my chest, ear right over my heart. I don't think either grown up knew how to deal with kids. Or maybe it was kids like us, but I knew one thing for certain. Everything had a price.

 "What's your price?"

"I'm sorry?" Gaster asked, eyebrow rising.

"What's. Your. Price. No one does anythin’ for free, especially not helping a pair of brats. I can fight, Papa was teachin' me 'fore he was killed. What do you want? People don’t _give things_ for free, ya know. Though I’m a bit too sick to do much, sorry bout that." My tone was so bitter I could taste it; it tasted like bile.

"Well, nothing, really," Gaster said, looking less bemused and more and more angry, though I don’t think it was directed at me or Roman.

"BULL SHIT!" I yelled, making both adults look at me in surprise. Roman shifted a little in my arms, murmuring in his sleep and I waited for him to settle again before I hissed,

"Nothing comes for free. If you don't have a price now, you'll have one later. That's what they all do."

"Sweetheart, baby bones, we don't have a price. But, if you must be rid of your so called debt, there's nothing I want more than children. You two can live with us, and I will take care of you, we both will.” Calibri said with a gentle smile, and her gracefully calloused hands twitched, like she wanted to hug us, but stopped herself. I don’t know if I was grateful or touched starved. Her eyes turned a little harder, the light at the edges only slightly remorseful as she added, “But you must understand, if you are part of the family, you will have to listen to Gaster and I, and do what we say-"

"I know that already. Papa was teaching me to fight since I was three. He told me the rules."

"Well, then that makes things much easier. Welcome to the family, little ones." I felt uneasy at Gaster’s smile but there was no easier way to survive. I nodded and he gave a fatherly smile, the kind that makes you warm from the inside out.

Maybe now we'd be safe. I'd have more blood on my hands but it'd be for family and it'd keep Roman safe. That's all I wanted.

-_-_-_

“Geez, G….” Sans murmured, eyes wide. G nodded and sighed.

“There’s a lot of fucked up shit I didn’t tell you cause I just don’t want to remember it,but yeah. That’s the gist of my story. Now you know.”

“I knew you two were close, I knew _you_ for years, and that Gaster had adopted you guys but… Wow.” G shrugged and coughed, taking a sip of tea. Roman shifted slightly on his spot on the bed, his head resting in G’s lap, arms draped over his legs and clutching his older brother like he were a lifeline. Sans looked down at Roman, who was dressed in loose sleep pants and a shirt three sizes too big, draped over his shoulders and sliding down the plane of muscle.

“Sometimes I wonder why I ask things…” Sans mumbled, curling in on himself as he crunched his body down a little further  on the bed, and G shrugged, smiling as he nudged Sans’ side with his foot. 

“Hey, it’s not all bad. I got to help raise you and Papyrus. You two have someone important in your lives now and well, I’m happy for you.”

“We miss having you around at the office,” Sans said with a small smile and G shrugged, touching his covered eye and wincing. Roman was sick but refusing to go to a hospital until he coughed up blood or a lung, and G was on bed rest, or house rest really, until he was healed. He may never see out of his eye again, and it was lucky that he was even alive. Grillby and Sans had come over earlier, Grillby immediately commandeering the kitchen and texting River, he assumed, as they suddenly flooded his phone with messages.

“Oh, so how’s the whole relationship thing going between you two?” Sans blinked and blushed, ducking his head as G started to grin coyly.

“Ohohoho, so you finally confessed? Well well, I gotta say, rather proud of you Sans-"

“Shshshshh! He doesn’t know, okay?!” Sans snapped, flushing further as Gerard started to laugh, muffling the sound with his hand when Roman mumbled incoherently before the younger brother settled back down.

“You might want to tell him sooner rather than later, Sans. I know he’s hurting, despite the year he’s had living with you, but trust me, he likes you-likes you. I can tell.” Sans shrugged and flopped backwards, hands pressing into his eyes.

“What if you’re wrong?”

“I haven’t been wrong yet when it comes to these sorts of things. Look, if it really bothers you, wait for the right moment and tell him.” Sans sighed and nodded before he pushed himself up and took Roman’s half empty tea mug, the liquid inside frigid from time spent untouched, from the bedside table and went to the door, calling over his shoulder. 

“I’m going to get him more tea. Need anything?” G shook his head and carded his hand though Roman’s short, sweat soaked hair and rewet the cold cloth. If his baby brother was going to be stubborn he was damn well going to take care of him. He always had. He always would. He appreciated the help though, especially since Grillby was such a good cook. He enjoyed their visit, granted they were literally across the street, but still. It was nice. Kitty trilled from the pillow opposite Roman, tilting her head to the side. 

“Yeah, I know sweetheart.” she purred and bumped her head against his palm as he scratched her ears. “They really need to kiss, don’t they?” He wasn’t expecting for that to come true so soon.

Early in the morning, the pain of his eye and worry over Roman keeping him from sleeping, his baby brother asleep upstairs as River looked after him, their face scrunched with worry, constantly replacing the cold compress on his brow. He couldn’t take the worry any longer, and grabbed his journal, Kitty springing from the bed to his chest and clawing her way up until she rested at his shoulders, perched there like a living scarf. It had been a year since Fia died, and it was edging on the fourth since Arial died. If he pretended, he could imagine that Kitty was Fia, his daughter unwilling to leave him alone, even as a spirit. It would be a nice thought. He headed downstairs, plopped himself in the armchair and simply stared at the spiral bound in his lap before opening to a new page, Kitty purring in his lap as he slowly wrote in the journal, his phone buzzed.

**Ketchup King: …. think you can tell me the winning lottery numbers?**

G raised his eyebrow, confused and typed back,

**Me: Uh… Why???**

**Ketchup King:** **…..**

 **Ketchup King:** **……….**

**Ketchup King: ….. i may be cuddling Grillby and I may have confessed AND we may have kissed after i comforted him from a ptsd nightmare…**

Gerard had to bite back a shout of exclamation, the first smile in a while spreading across his face as he pumped his fist in the air, grinning like a madman as he began to chuckle.

**Me: I KNEW IT!!!!!!! I demand an invite to the wedding.**

**Ketchup King: hahaha, ery funny.**

**Me: Congrats and go to sleep Sans. You need it.**

**Ketchup King: night, G**

**Me: Night Sans**

G smiled down at his cat, scratching her behind the ears and sighing. His brother would be okay; River was watching the idiot now, and Sans and Grillby were going to be okay. Life was okay. That was all he wanted.


	2. Whiskey Lullabye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Six months since the day Grillby died, a lot of alcohol, a new country, and a small town. And yet, even here, there's a familiar face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I wasn't expecting such a good reception for the first chapter!! Thank you so much you guys!!! I love all the kudos, comments and bookmarks, they really make my month!! Okay, just a warning, this chapter heads up Sans' life after the Genocide chapter, the one where Grillby died and he moved to Scotland to get away from life. There are mentions of alcholism and overdose, but nothing terrible or worth chapter summary. If any of these bother you, however, please leave me a comment and I will be sure to add warnings and bold markers. Also, as I am my own beta, if you see any spelling, grammar or plot mistakes, leave me a comment and I will do my best to fix them! Okay, enough from me, on with the story!  
> No, wait, I lied.   
> DISCLAIMER!!! I OWN NOTHING!!! UNDERTALE BELONGS TO TOBY FOX, I OWN NOTHING, aside from the ocs and the plot to this story, I OWN NOTHING!!!   
> Okay, now on with the story!!!  
> I hope you enjoy the story and that all is well!!
> 
> -RR

“You know, you’ve been coming in here for the past few months, and you moved into the cottage up the road, and I still only know your name. We don’t get many visitors, Sans, and well… You’re a strange one, no doubt about that.” Sans lifted his head minutely, eyes creasing at the corners as his lips pulled up into a slight, bitter smile before they dropped and his eyes went back to the whiskey in his glass. It burned too much without ketchup to soften the edges but it wasn’t the same. And it reminded him too much of home. Which he didn’t even have anymore, because he gave it up. He poured another shot of whiskey from the bottle the bartender left him and knocked it back hands steady as they could be after…. He glanced to the side and noticed more than half the bottle was gone.

‘ _ Well I’ll be damned… Usually I’m drunk by now, or at least tipsy. Hehehe… Two bottles of whiskey should be enough to make me unconscious… Or is this the third? Oh well. Maybe I won’t wake up screaming tonight. _ ’ 

“Sans… Lad, how much have you had to drink?” The bartender, Sans was pretty sure her name was Eden or something, asked softly, her brogue thick as half frozen maple syrup. 

“Nowhere near enough.” He mumbled, pillowing his head on his arms, voice muffled by the thick cloth of his wool sweater. He ignored the stare Eden was giving him, the piercing green eyes staring him straight through, giving him a muted version of  _ The Look.  _

“Sans…” Eden said, hard lines in her face etched deeper at her frown. Sans shrugged and mumbled, barely loud enough to be heard,

“I don’t want to wake up screaming… Easiest way to do it is to either not sleep or be drunk off my rocker.” He huffed and cracked a smile a moment later, fake as it was, and said loud enough to be heard, ignoring Eden’s worried look fighting with her stern glare,

“Aww, come on Eden! Water you saying, I’ve had too much?” Eden pursed her lips and glared steadily at Sans, unswayed by his awful humor. After a moment, however, the burly woman let out a long sigh and shook her head, eyes softening as she pressed her well-muscled arms against the bartop, leaning over so she was level with him, her nose a few inches above his forehead as she stared at him.  

“Yes, Sans. That’s exactly what I’m saying. Let me take you home, please. I know for a fact that you’re just going to drink more.” 

“Hehe, how’d ya guess?” He mumbled, scrunching his brow as he slid off the stool, ground swaying only for a moment as he regained his balance. 

“Because I’ve seen plenty of men, women and everyone in between just like you, Sans. On the run from something, hiding, or trying to escape. Alcohol doesn’t make it any easier, trust me. It just makes it worse, and it makes you the living dead before you become the dead. Come on, go wait for me outside. I’ll be out in a mo.” She nodded her head towards the back room and Sans huffed but did as directed, walking around the bar to the kitchen and out the back door to the alley way.

Once he was in the alley, however, something broke inside him. At first, it was just a giggle, a single sound falling past his lips, and then it rose to snickering and finally hysterical laughter. His stomach started to roll as he shivered violently, the freezing air promising more rain and possible snow. Still giggling, Sans leaned against the wall, one arm bracing his weight as the other wrapped around his middle, a part of him fighting to keep the bile that was rising in his throat down, but it was no use.

‘ _ What goes down must come up… Haha, science. _ ’ His drunk mind found the situation funny as he puked into the closest trash can, one arm bracing his shaking body against the lip as the other tightened around his middle. He could feel tears streaming down his face, the pain rising from his gut as everything he had been holding inside over the past five months unraveled very quickly. He felt like he was going to bring up a kidney, or maybe a lung if he kept puking and even when it settled into dry heaving, his body wanted to retch. He shook violently, hating that he wasn’t unconscious, that he was still able to feel, and hating himself. The rings he wore around his neck were heavy, like anchors, and burned his freezing cold skin. He let go of the trash can lid as his legs gave out underneath him, too tired to care. He heard the door open, heard a shout of his name but all he could do was giggle and let his body drop. 

‘ _ Maybe this time I won’t wake up… _ ’ He thought before finally giving into the sweet release of unconsciousness.

_-_-_-

“He’s fucking stupid, that’s what he is!” 

“Eden, shush! He needs sleep, be quiet!” 

“Don’t you tell me to be quiet, D! He passed out after nearly giving himself alcohol poisoning! Do you know how much he drank before I went on shift?! Two whole bottles of whiskey, and I mean  _ good  _ whiskey, the kind that knocks you flat on your ass! He was working through his third when I got to him!” 

“Eden, be quiet! You don’t need to yell! He’s-” 

“He’s awake and would like to know where he is,” Sans muttered, opening his eyes slowly as his vision cleared. 

“How are you feeling?” A blurry figure, male, with a shock of copper hair, asked, kneeling a little too close for Sans’ comfort. Sans scooted away, weary and not too out of it to recognize he wasn’t in his cottage. The smell was off, and there was no slightly lumpy mattress underneath him. Instead, it was a couch, with a thick blanket draped over top of him, a too large t-shirt sliding over his shoulders and sweatpants that had been rolled up to his ankles, or that’s what it felt like as he shifted to sit upright. 

“Ah, sorry. My name is Derek, I’m the town doctor and Eden’s cousin. It’s nice to meet you, Sans. I’ve seen you around but you never seem to talk much.” As his vision cleared, Sans found himself staring at a near carbon copy of Grillby combined, right down to the slight upturn of his lips that Grillby would get when he was worried but trying to add a little humor to make him laugh. His eyes were like Felix’s though, a vibrant green-blue that shone with compassion and worry. 

“Sans? Are you feeling alright? You’re very pale, do you feel nauseous? Head hurting? Cold? Eden, can you get my kit, please? And some more blankets?” Eden nodded, running a hand through her thick blonde-brown hair as she turned away, gathering it into a ponytail. 

“Sans… Can I feel your forehead?” Derek asked softly and Sans nodded numbly, shaking violently. His hand came up to feel for their rings, but when he did, there was nothing there. He flinched away from the large calloused palm and looked down at his chest, chest starting to heave as he began to hyperventilate.

“Sans? Sans, can you hear me? Sans, everything is fine, just breathe, in and out, there’s nothing wrong, I promise…” He heard faintly but it wasn’t helping much. Derek’s voice wasn’t as deep or smooth as Grillby’s, but it carried the same weight and his body was fighting itself; part of him wanted to get up and run away because he was in a strange house without his rings and sitting in front of a man who looked almost exactly like Grillby while the other part of him wanted to lean into his chest and cling to him like a koala bear and never ever let him go, crying until there were no more tears left. He simply let out a pitiful whimper as Derek asked,

“Sans? Can you hear me?” He nodded slowly, though his eyes screwed tight and he was trying not to scream or cry or break.

“O’Cain, here’s your kit and the blankets. I have to get going, but I’ll be back in time for supper, you hear me? I’ll bring dinner.” Eden’s voice was softer now, and worry didn’t leave her voice but she didn’t mention Sans’ slow mental breakdown. Sans heard Derek hum in acknowledgment when what she said hit him full force. Derek O’Cain. Derek O’Cain. He was related to Grillby… The rational side of his mind whispered that O’Cain was probably a fairly common surname but the panic didn’t care. And neither, it seemed, did Derek, though probably for a different reason. 

He cut through Sans’ mental dilemma when he picked him up and carried him to a separate room, letting Sans cling to him like he was a lifeline. Faintly, Sans heard something being picked up, the sound of metal clinking together barely reached him through his rapid breaths and choked sobs, fighting down tears. 

“Sans… Sans, it’s okay. It’s okay, just cry. Let it all go, you’ll be okay, I promise. It’s okay. Just let it go, scream and cry. I promise it’s okay.” And so Sans did just that. He cried, body wrenching sobs and wails that he tried to muffle by biting his lips until he could taste blood, chest heaving as he babbled on and on, apologizing over and over. 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m so so sorry… Please, come back, I’m sorry. I’m sorryI’msorryI’msorryI’msorry… Please… Please, make it stop. Please… I’m sorry, I promise I’ll be better, just come back, please… I’m so sorry…” Slowly, even that turned to incoherent sobs as two warm arms encircled him as the chest he was crying into began to vibrate, soft humming echoing against his face as his ears heard the actual sound, creating a strange stereo effect. 

“Ssshhh, it’s okay Sans… It’ll all be okay, just breathe. That’s it. Just let it all out. It’s okay, don’t worry. Everything will be okay, I promise.” Derek’s voice, if Sans were to imagine, was almost like Grillby’s when he spoke softly, though not quite as powerful or rumbling as his late boyfriend’s had been. The realization sent him into a fresh wave of sobs that he couldn’t control any more than the first wave.

Sans lost track of time, lost track of what he said, or what Derek was saying, and how many tears he had shed. But he could feel the strange, oddly tingly sensation when one’s blood flow is constricted enough and limbs “fall asleep”. Slowly, as he calmed down, he took stock of the situation and his position. Derek had moved them to a large bed where he was resting in Derek’s lap, legs curled up underneath of him, pressing into Derek’s crossed legs. The other man’s arms were wrapped semi-loosely around his back, one hand rubbing gentle circles at the base of his neck, the other a hot brand in the middle of his back. Derek’s head was resting on top of his, still humming softly, but Sans couldn’t see his face. 

“Are you feeling better?” Derek asked as Sans’ breathing evened out. He just nodded. 

“Can you use your words?” He prompted and Sans took a shuddering breath, managing a meager, tear cracked, 

“Yeah…” 

“Are you okay for me to let you go and get you some water? Or do you want me to stay here until you’re a little calmer?” 

“W-water would be nice…” Sans mumbled and Derek nodded. There was shifting and then Sans was being propped up against a veritable mountain of pillows and a warm blanket was tucked around him before Derek disappeared. Before Sans could freak out further, this time from mortification that he had had a mental break down in front of a complete stranger and all because he looked like Grillby, Derek was back with a glass of water, a leather bag, like a doctor from the 1970’s would have had, and a new shirt. 

“Here, drink this slowly, alright? I don’t want you getting sick again.” He said gently as he handed Sans the tall glass. Sans nodded and slowly drank the lukewarm water, watching Derek as he fussed with the bag before he was patting his pants and reached into a pocket, pulling out- 

“Those are mine!” Sans snapped, feeling emotion surge through him once more. Derek looked startled and smiled placatingly. 

“Don’t worry, I figured that much. They had been coated with muck and vomit, so I cleaned them. It’s why you weren’t wearing them earlier, and why you’re wearing my clothes. Sorry about that, by the way. I’m rather tall and you’re… Kinda short.” Sans snorted as Derek scratched the back of his neck sheepishly, jabbing at the doctor,

“I’ll have you know that I’m perfectly normal sized. Ain’t my fault you’re a goddamn giant.” He wasn’t sure what prompted him to act so familiar with the man; maybe it was how much he looked like Grillby, maybe it was because he was so tired and alone and Derek felt familiar enough to joke around with, or maybe he was just desperate for someone to help him out of his self-imposed isolation. 

“Well, I’m a perfectly normal sized giant.” Derek huffed before he smiled, tentatively. “You’re a pretty humerous guy, Sans, tibia honest.” Sans snorted, unable to control the reaction. Derek looked pleased. 

“What did one hat say to the other?” Derek asked and Sans felt his heart stop once more before he mumbled, voice thick with emotion once more, 

“You stay here, I’ll go on a head.” Derek looked surprised.

“How’d you know that one? Most people don’t-” 

“Grillby told it to me, a few months ago…” Sans said softly, his heart aching as he clutched the rings in a tight fist. 

“Wait… Grillby- You’re  _ that Sans? _ ” Sans’ head shot up at the surprised tone and was surprised to see recognition on Derek’s face. 

“Yeah, why?” He asked, tensing. Derek noticed and hurried to placate him. 

“Oh, no, it’s nothing bad! Grillby’s my cousin! His dad was my uncle and when his dad died in the war, and he, Felix, Aunt Lana, and Grandaddy Liam went to the States, we only really got to call each other, and later we emailed each other back and forth and occasionally we skyped. You’re Sans! Oh my god, no wonder the name was so familiar! He talked non-stop about you when we were younger, and then when he married Meria, you were his best man and then you were his boyfriend… Jesus, that’s a slap to the face… No wonder you’re so familiar!” Derek smiled and laughed, shaking his head.

“What happened to him, by the way? I haven’t heard from Aunt Lana or Grillby in months!”

“He… He died.” Derek’s smile fell instantly and he blinked a few times, shock written across his face.

“W-what?” 

“H-He died. He died six months ago. I-I couldn’t save him… He… He bled out right in front of me… I couldn’t save him… I’m so fucking  _ useless!”  _ Sans shouted the last word and Derek recoiled for a moment before reaching back out and hugging Sans once more. 

“It’s okay, Sans. You’re not useless. You’re not. You tried and sometimes people just can’t be saved. I know it’s hard. I know it hurts, but it’ll be okay someday.” Sans shuddered and curled into Derek’s arms once more, hiccuping sobs making his chest and lungs hurt. This time his episode was shorter but Derek didn’t let him go. 

“Think you can explain to me what happened? You’ll feel better if you talk about it.” Slowly, jerkily, Sans unloaded the burden he’d been carrying for six months, pausing to hiccup and cry before Derek let out a long sigh, his own voice thick with tears.

“It’ll be okay, Sans. Trust me, it’ll be okay.” Silence fell over them for a long time. Derek was the one who broke it.

“Look, I don’t trust you not to do something stupid tonight, like trying to jump into a river or drown yourself in alcohol. You’re staying here and sleeping wtih me.”

“Hehehe… Wanna know the one nice thing about sleeping alone?” Sans asked, voice muffled by Derek’s shoulder. The other man hummed. 

“There’s no one to disturb when you wake up screaming. Sorry, Derek, but I don’t think I’m up to human contact. Also, buy me a drink first before you ask me to bed.” Sans lazily quipped, feeling exhaustion drag on his body.

“I don’t mean like that!” Derek snapped and Sans chuckled, leaning back to see a violent blush bloom across the man’s face. “I mean, sleep here, in my bed with me. I’m aromantic and ace, Sans, I’m not about to jump your bones. And even if I weren’t either, I wouldn’t go after a guy who dated my cousin! That’s just rude.” Sans snorted and Derek let him go, going to his black bag and digging around before pulling out a few pill bottles. 

“Are you allergic to anything? Have any medication?” Sans shook his head and Derek nodded to himself before popping open three different bottles and shaking out a few pills from each into his palm before replacing the caps and stowing the bottles back in his bag and then leaving the bag on the floor. 

“Here. Take these three for any headaches, either from crying or hangover, this one for sleep, and these two to help your stomach. Want me to grab you some water-” Sans took the handful of pills and popped them two at a time into mouth, swallowing them dry. Derek stared at him for a moment before running to the bathroom with Sans’ empty water glass and returning less than a minute later, a slight scowl on his face. 

“Idiot, you’re supposed to drink water with pills!” Sans shrugged and chugged the water down before yawning. Derek’s expression softened. 

“Okay, you need sleep. Do you have a side preference?” Sans shook his head, too tired to care anymore.

“Alright. If you need anything, wake me up. I’m a fairly light sleeper, so it shouldn’t be too hard. I’m going to call Eden and tell her not to come by, seeing as it’s currently…” Derek checked his phone and winced. 

“Yeah… She called four times… And it’s nearly eleven… Okay, you sleep and I’ll call Eden. I’ll be back in a moment.” Sans nodded and crawled under the thick, warm covers, surprised at the size of the bed. While not a Queen, or a King, it was still more than big enough for two people to sleep comfortably. The minute his head hit the pillow, despite his usual insomnia and being in an unfamiliar place, Sans was asleep. 

_-_-_-

Sans woke to the smell of bacon, toast and eggs and soft singing. He stretched and blinked, looking around in mild confusion before last night hit him like a ton of bricks. He scrambled out of bed and ran down the hall to a flight of stairs, following the sound of singing. It was like Grillby but not. He’d have to apologize to Derek about his mental break down, and then maybe leave as quickly as humanly possible- 

“Ah, there you are! I was worried you were going to sleep like the dead.” Derek’s cheery voice carried over to him from the stove, cutting off his thoughts as he entered the kitchen. It was a homey room, with warm cream walls, and wooden cabinets. A round wooden table stood in the center with five chairs set around it, two places set with water, a jug of orange juice and a pot of coffee in the middle of the table.

“How’d you sleep?” Derek asked as he turned from the stove, holding two plates with eggs, crispy bacon and toast. 

“Fine…” Sans said, still finding the situation surreal. Derek nodded and smiled, setting the first plate in front of him. 

“I’m not as good a chef as Grillby, but I still know my way around a kitchen. Dig in.” Sans sat and picked up a fork, tentatively taking a bite of eggs. His stomach roared and the next thing he knew, he was staring at a clean plate before Derek was giving him second helping, laughing. 

“Wow, you really were hungry!” Sans nodded, feeling a little looser than he had when he first woke up. If Derek wasn’t going to mention last night, he was fine with that. More than fine.

“It’s really good.” Derek smiled a little at the praise and continued to eat his own breakfast, making light conversation. Sans found out he was twenty-nine, like Grillby, and that people, when they were growing up, often thought the cousins were twins and called them the wrong names all the time. Sans told him, haltingly, that he liked to read and that he was twenty-six, and that he had originally lived in Colorado. Derek, thankfully didn’t ask anymore about his past and kept the conversation light for the rest of breakfast. As they were quietly drinking coffee, Derek suggested, 

“You should write.”

“Excuse me?” Sans asked, eyebrows rising. 

“You should write. Write what happened, what lead to you coming here. About your friends, about your family. It’s cathartic, trust me.”

“What do you know…” Sans snapped before he could stop himself. Mentally, he face palmed. Derek was being insanely gracious and patient with him, and he didn’t have to let Sans spend the night, stay in bed, wear his clothes, he didn’t have to clean his rings and necklace for him, or take care of him, or make him food and make sure he was okay. 

‘ _ God, I’m such an asshole… _ ’ He opened his mouth to apologize but Derek beat him to it.

“You besides being a licensed psychiatrist for PTSD patients, and an actual M.D? Well, you know everyone loses someone, Sans. I lost my twin sister to depression and drug overdose.” His voice wasn’t hard like Sans expected. He was calm and even had an understanding look in his eyes. 

“I asked myself for months why I hadn’t seen it, why I hadn’t helped her sooner. So, I wrote. I wrote about our childhood, I wrote about us growing up and how close we were. I was devastated when I lost her two years ago. So I wrote and I didn’t stop until I filled three journals and pages upon pages in Microsoft Word. I’m not saying you have to detail your entire relationship, but maybe writing parts will help you?” He got up and went to the counter, were the journal Papyrus had given him for his birthday lay.

“This was in your bag, which Eden brought over earlier. She said you left it at the bar, but nothing was taken, don’t worry. Why don’t you go and sit on the couch and start writing, yeah? I’m sure you’ll feel better.” Sans nodded and took the journal from the taller man’s hands, holding it protectively against his chest as he made his way to the conjoined room and plopped himself on the couch, turning to the first pages he had already written in. He smiled faintly at the memory of movie night, of eating until he had been sick. Or maybe, that was because he knew what he was going to do. He pushed that thought aside and turned to a new page, pulling the pen from the spine and began to write.  
  
_ It was calm, for once, in the office. Papyrus walked in through the double glass doors, smiling widely at his reflection. Dark tan skin, thick black hair cut so it was a little more manageable, broad shoulders trying to escape his shirt as he stretched, flexing before the glass, laughing as he did so. Others would think him vain, handsome as he was, what with three miles of leg, snug in dark jeans, blood red boots that went up to his shins, and a tight shirt that might as well be painted on his muscled torso and shoulders. He fidgeted with the red scarf around his neck for a second before he smiled once more and started whistling, waving cheerily to the short pale blonde man slumped over a desk, looking bored, one hand holding his head up as the other lazily moved the mouse around the screen. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you want to see a specific scene? Or set of characters from Heaven in a Bottle, Hell in Drowning Memory? Leave me a comment with your suggestion and I will do my best to write a chapter (or possibly more) about it! No characters are off limits, so long as they were in the first part of this series. If you haven't, you should go and read that, as these will make no sense if you haven't read Heaven in a Bottle, Hell in Drowning Memory. I hope all is well and that you enjoy the story!!
> 
> -RR


	3. Can't You Hear the Bells Ringing?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Church bells, church bells, ringing loud and clear over the hill. What day is it, that has you ringing so loudly?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLO!!!! I LIVE!!!! I know, it's surprising, but I'm out of Uni until the end of January so my updates should be a lot more regular, and by that, I mean I won't be as erratic, though I will still be fairly erratic. Sorry about that. But thank you, everyone who's left kudos, comments or bookmarked the story, I'm glad you're enjoying it so much!! Also, I'm serious. I want to hear from you guys! Leave me a comment with any characters you want to see; no one's off limits as long as they were in the previous fic, Heaven in a Bottle, Hell in Drowning Memory. If you haven't read it, you probably should go do that as this will make no sense otherwise. As always, I'm my own beta, so if you see any grammar, spelling, plot or general mistakes, please tell me! Leave a comment and I will be sure to fix them as soon as possible!  
> This chapter was requested by the lovely MentalWeirdo365, and after the two chapters of pain I've given you guys, let's have some Alphyne fluff!! This chapter is quite a bit longer BUT it follows the pacifist route, meaning Grillby is alive and well, Milo was adopted and all is well and adorable. SO MUCH FLUFF. Okay, enough from me. On with the story!  
> No, wait, I lied.  
> DISCLAIMER!!!!  
> I OWN NOTHING, aside from the plot of the fic and oc's, I OWN NOTHING!!! UNDERTALE BELONGS TO TOBY FOX!!!  
> Okay, now on with the story!  
> I hope all is well and that you enjoy!
> 
> -RR

“Undyne, I swear to god, if you don’t calm down I am going to handcuff you to a chair.” Sans snapped, finally losing his patience. The red head stopped pacing for a moment, arms crossing angrily as she tapped her foot for a few minutes, eye shifting from one corner of the room to the next before she let out a snarl that neared animalistic and began to pace again. Nervous energy radiated off of her like heat off sand in the middle of a summer day in the desert, she shoulders drawn into a tense line, back so tight Sans was slightly worried, underneath his annoyance, that she was going to break her spine from the stress. Her hair was undone, falling in loose ringlets down her midback, still slightly wet from a shower. Sans leaned back into Undyne’s couch, eye twitching as she continued to pace in agitation, refusing to answer him as to  _ why  _ she had called him and hung up immediately after. He’d thought someone had died, or maybe she was in trouble, but instead was greeted with the sight of a sopping wet Undyne as she tugged a shirt on over her head as she answered the door, hair still wrapped in a towel and no Alphys, no blood, no body and no major external crisis. 

Sans sighed and waited until Undyne had her back turned to him to sneak up on her and drag her arms behind her, wrenching her shoulders back so that if she tried to break his grip she would dislocate her shoulders a well before slapping a pair of handcuffs to each wrist, attaching the free cuff to her belt loops and then each other before clicking them shut. Undyne was so surprised she didn’t realize what had happened until her wrists were cuffed and she was falling backwards into the couch. 

“Ouuf!” the air rushed out of her in one gust, and Sans felt a little bad, but he was at the end of his patience, though maybe tripping her legs out from underneath her and pushing her into the couch was a little unnecessary. He put his hands to his temples and slowly rubbed away his headache as Undyne struggled to properly sit up, her spine bent at an awkward angle, her neck crunched so it was pressing into her chest, her one good eye glaring up at him as she struggled to right herself without the use of her hands. Sans huffed and put his hands under her armpits and dragged her upwards, helping her situate herself before stepping back and crossing his own arms.

“Now will you fucking sit still and tell me what the hell this is all about? G and Roman have Milo for the day because I thought that you had a dead body on your hands, or that Alphys or someone was dead or dying. Undyne, why did you call me on my day off and when Milo is sick, too.” His voice dipped into a growl and Undyne hung her head, the fight leaving her in an instant. 

“Sans, I need your help.” 

“Undyne? What’s wrong?” The anxious edge to his voice belied his anger and frustration, and he stared at his friend in growing apprehension. 

“IwanttoproposetoAlphysbutIhavenoringandIhavenoplanandI’mfreakingthefuckoutover thisbecauseifshesaysnothenIdon’tknowwhatI’lldowithmyselfokay?!” She said it all so fast Sans simply stared at her for several minutes, replaying what she said until he made sense of it. 

“You want to propose to Alphys but you don’t have a ring and no plan and you’re scared about it because if she says no you don’t know what you’ll do with yourself?” He asked, eyebrows shooting upwards as Undyne nodded sullenly. Sans snorted once before he doubled over laughing, unable to hold it in, actually falling to the ground and curling into a ball as Undyne growled and blushed violently, kicking his legs, making Sans laugh out “ow” through his tears, unable to properly speak or breathe. 

“Shut up, asshole!” She shouted, and Sans struggled to calm himself down as the front door opened. 

“Undyne? Brother?” Papyrus’ voice carried over from the hallway, where there was some muffled footsteps and shuffling and then the tall man appeared in the doorway. Sans couldn’t see from his position on the floor, too busy laughing as he tried, Undyne kicking his legs and growling but then Sans was being swooped up into Papyrus’ arms, his face being buried in his brother’s chest. 

“Sans, breathe, Undyne sit.” The commanding note in his voice was unexpected. Undyne did as she was told and Sans took a few shuddering breaths to calm down, a few giggles escaping here and there before he managed to completely calm down and wipe the tears away from his eyes. 

“Okay, now that everyone is calm, care to explain what happened that had Sans in hysterics on your floor, you kicking my brother and- Are you handcuffed? Sans, what did you do?” Papyrus demanded and Sans giggled as his brother set him down once more before he made his way to Undyne and gestured for her to stand up so he could get her wrists. She did so without a word the shorter man, instead choosing to answer Papyrus.

“I called Sans over because I need help, and I was pacing for a little bit and then he handcuffed me and asked me why I told him to come over. I told him why and he started to laugh!” 

“Okay, that’s only half the story and you know it, Dyne.” Sans grumbled, good mood crushed a little bit more as he tugged her wrists in warning, causing her to yelp. Undyne made a mental note to never piss Sans off again, if this indeed was him pissed off. He released her from the handcuffs and stuck them back in his jacket pocket before adding, 

“She called me over here at ten when Milo was running a fever, so I had to get G and Roman to watch him, since Grillbz is having a hell of a day at work and can’t take off to watch him, which is why I’m not at work. She then proceeded to pace for-” He checked his phone and his eyes went wide. 

“Five fucking hours?! It’s three pm?! The hell, Undyne!” 

“Wait, it’s three?”

“Uh, yes? I just got out of the office and Alphys said that she needed me to tell you that she would be coming home late tonight so not to wait up, but when neither of you were answering your phones, I decided to come over and check things out. Glad I did.” Papyrus huffed before adding, “Why were you laughing Sans? I understand keeping Undyne from moving, but even if it was a little extreme, I do want to know what you were pacing, Undyne and why Sans was in hysterics. I’m more than a little confused.”

“She wants to propose to Alph but has no plan or ring, and I thought that she had a dead body or was in serious trouble with someone or that someone was dead or dying. So, I started laughing. Now, if you excuse me, I’m going to call G and Milo and make sure he’s okay because  _ someone  _ kept me here for five fucking hours.” Sans sent a glare Undyne’s way, who had the decency to look sheepish and apologetic while Papyrus stared at his best friend speechless for several long minutes. Sans moved to the kitchen, leaning against the island, fingers twitching against his phone as he tried to not throw it in frustration as he listened to the dial tone ring. 

‘ _ Hello? _ ’ a soft voice answered. 

“G? What’s up? How’s Milo, is he okay? How’s his fever, has it gone down? Is he awake? Is he feeling better or worse? Has Grillby come by to pick him up yet?” 

‘ _ Whoa there, Sans, calm down. The little tyke is just fine, he’s using Roman as a pillow right now. _ ’ G laughed softly on the other end, warmth creeping into his voice as he whispered, ‘ _ Milo couldn’t sleep with his fever so crazy so Roman decided ice cream was a good a choice as any to give the kid, then we tucked him into bed and let him nap while one of us kept watch. He managed to eat some soup and keep it down, yes Grillby called, he’s having to work late tonight because it’s spring break and people are flocking to the restaurant. Milo woke up a few hours ago and we took a short walk outside with Mouse before we headed home and watched some cartoons with him. When he got bored but couldn’t do much, we made him eat some more soup and drink a few glasses of water, then he asked Roman to read to him. Little tyke fell asleep listening to him read Nicholas Nickleby and Roman didn’t want to move from the couch so I got them a blanket. Milo’s fever went down and he’s almost better. What happened with Undyne? _ ’ Sans could hear the faint rumble from Kitty, meaning the cat had jumped onto his shoulders and was purring against his cheek again. The calming purr made his shoulders unwind, even through the telephone and Sans relaxed, worry for his son still present but tempered by the good news.

“Undyne was freaking the fuck out for five hours and wouldn’t stop pacing and wouldn’t answer any of my questions so I tried to be patient, thinking she had a dead body or was in trouble of some kind. Turns out she wants to marry Alph, has no ring or plan and wants some help trying to figure out how to do it. I may have handcuffed her and forced her to the couch for her to tell me that…” 

‘ _ Awww! Tell her congrats from me and Ro. If she wants an idea, anything Alphys likes to do is usually a safe bet, but romantic. I’d steer clear of the anime; maybe a place that they think is special? I mean, you and Grillbz proposed to each other through jokes on your porch on New Years, and that was two years ago. _ ’ There was muffled rustling and G hummed softly for a few minutes before he continued, 

‘ _ Sorry, Milo was looking a little fitful, poor baby bones… Oh, right. Well, if she wants something romantic, I’d suggest the place they first met, unless that was work, then their first date or a park or some shit. Ah, gotta go. Looks like Mouse is waking up and that damn dog, adorable as he is, is a handful when he’s roudy. I’ll see you tonight to get Milo I take it?’  _

“Yeah, thank you G.”

‘ _ No problem, Sans. Take care of Undyne and Papyrus for me, yeah? _ ’ 

“How’d you know Paps was here?” sans asked, eyebrows raised.

‘ _ Please, _ ’ G snorted. ‘ _ I practically raised you two. Where you are, Papyrus isn’t far behind and where Papyrus is, you’re almost seconds behind if you’re not there with him. _ ’ G explained, tone amused. ‘ _ Take care of yourself Sans, don’t kill Undyne, and don’t worry about Milo. He’s in good hands. _ ’ 

“Alright.” Sans conceded, letting himself relax for the first time in several hours that day. “See you later, G.” 

‘ _ See you later, Sans. _ ’ and with that, the other man hung up. Sans stuffed his phone in his jacket, only to be met with an interesting scene. Papyrus was staring at Undyne, jaw dropped open, eyes wide as saucers as a small whine came from the back of his throat, Undyne looked worried and confused. 

“Uh.. Paps? Papyrus? C-Can you hear me, buddy? You even in there?” Undyne asked, gently shaking his shoulder as Sans came in, eyebrows rising. 

“A.A.A.A.AA.A.A.A.A.A.A.A.A….” was the noise that came out of his mouth and Sans covered his ears, reclining in the arm chair by the couch. Undyne noticed the action but before she could ask why, Papyrus snapped out of his stupor.

“OH MY FUCKING GOD, UNDYNE THIS IS THE BEST NEWS THE GREAT PAPYRUS HAS HEARD IN YEARS!!! OH, I’M SO EXCITED, I CANNOT BELIEVE IT!! THAT’S ASTOUNDING NEWS, OH I LOVE IT!!! NEVER FEAR, FOR YOUR TWO BEST FRIENDS SHALL GO OUT AND HELP YOU PICK OUT THE PERFECT RING AND I SHALL HELP YOU PLAN THE BEST IDEA EVER!!! OH, I’M SO EXCITED!!” His voice reached a pitch that only dogs should be able to hear and Undyne winced as her best friend screamed at the tops of his lungs. She hoped that none of her neighbors were home. That was her last coherent thought as Papyrus tackle hugged her and nearly suffocated her by wrapping his arms around her ribs, squeezing. Thankfully, they landed on the couch though it drove what little air Undyne had left in her lungs straight out. 

“Paps, inside voice, please.” Sans called from the chair before adding with a nod towards Undyne, “Uh, I think she’s starting to turn blue, Papyrus.” Immediately, Papyrus released her and sat up, helping her up as well, wincing slightly at the way Undyne heaved for air. 

“Jesus Paps… I knew you had a grip but damn…”

“Aww, thank you Undyne! But I am sorry if I caused you any discomfort, I didn’t mean to shatter your eardrums either. But I did mean it, Sans and I can help you pick out a ring today and then I can help you plan something, or at very least start brainstorming.” Papyrus said, voice much softer now. Undyne nodded in gratitude and Sans, who had been texting Grillby, only half paid attention as he grunted noncommittally about going to help them pick out a ring.

“Well, let us go!” Papyrus cheered and Sans looked up, confused as he was plucked off the armchair and his shoes were grabbed by Papyrus, his younger brother holding him like he was ninety pounds instead of 140 pounds of muscle and fat.

“Uh, Paps? Where are you taking me?” Sans asked as he was maneuvered in Papyrus’ arms so he was half laying in his arms, shoes hanging from one hand. 

“We’re going to help Undyne pick out a ring for Alphys, of course! You agreed to this!” 

“Bro, I have to go and take care of Milo-” Sans tried, his voice stern but it immediately melted when Papyrus set him down in front of the elevator, Undyne mutterings as she locked her apartment filtering down the hall, his brother giving him puppy dog eyes. 

“Sans, please. I’m really worried about her; she’s never this nervous, aside from the first time she asked Alphys out. Please, this is important to her, and it should be important to you as well. I know you’re worried about Milo, but he’s with G and Roman, and you know they’ve basically raised you and I. There’s no point to worry, and your health is already terrible. You could use a break from taking care of sick people, no matter what you do. Please, Sans.” His brother’s heterochromatic eyes bored into his own, amber and chocolate brown meeting bright blue and dark brown. Sans sighed and groaned, head tipping back before he nodded. 

“Alright, fine. I’ll help you two pick out a ring for Undyne and Alphys.” Papyrus smiled, genuinely smiled - not one of his wider, semi-fake smiles, but a gentle, true smile that made his whole being light up. 

“Thank you Sans.” He said, giving his shorter brother a hug just as Undyne caught up with them at the elevator. The way to the car was filled with idle chatter, Sans throwing in the occasional pun that made both Undyne and Papyrus groan, though Papyrus added his own puns here and there, just to spite Sans. Once they were in the car, Sans suggested,

“Why don’t we go to the store I got my ring for Grillby at? They have some good ones.” Undyne nodded, fists clenching and relaxing as Papyrus turned on the car and the radio, blasting soothing piano music, which had Undyne’s tense shoulders relaxing and her jaw loosening as she began to hum along with a few, fingers tapping out a beat. 

“Okay, ready?” Sans asked as they stood outside of the jewlers. Papyrus had already bound inside, an intent and concentrated look on his face, boots making soft noise instead of his usual dead silent, if long and slightly bouncy, gait. His ever present blood red scarf trailed slightly behind him like a banner of a great lord, a smile on his face despite the light in his eyes.

“Y-yeah….” Sans tugged on Undyne’s slightly trembling hands and smiled, squeezing  gently. 

“Don’t worry, Dyne. Alph loves you, I know it, you know it, we all know it. She’ll love to 

spend the rest of your lives together, so don’t worry so much, okay?” Undyne nodded and clenched her fists, taking a deep breath before releasing it and relaxing, rolling her shoulders and neck before striding into the store, confidence oozing from her every pore, Sans right behind her. 

_-_-_-

It was a grand two hours later that they left the jewelers, and Sans was exhausted but he made it home with no incident. He may have broken a speed law or two to get home sooner to make sure Milo was okay as G said but he couldn’t help the worry that clawed his gut. Throwing the car in park, he ran across the street and burst into G’s front hall, barely managing to avoid slamming the door on the wall and then colliding with the man in the front hall way. 

“Whoa, Sans! Calm down, where’s the fire?” G asked, eyebrows raised. His blonde hair was a little mussed and his good eye, as well as his blind eye, stared him straight through, as if seeing his very soul.

“Milo-” 

“Is fine. He’s sleeping right now, actually. Come on, you look like you could use a drink of 

water.” Gerard turned around and started to walk away, leaving Sans to follow him. Kitty appeared from the living room suddenly, winding herself around Sans’ legs before leaping to his back and crawling till she rested on his shoulders, purring loudly against his cheek. Absently, Sans raised a hand to scratch under her chin as he took in G’s new changes to his home. It was the same layout as his and Grillby’s; front hall lead to the kitchen and den, stairs that lead upstairs to the bedrooms and G’s library/office were in the front hall, just before the door. There was a living room across the hall, next to the kitchen but blocked by a wall, that lead into a dining room that had large bay windows, overlooking the woods. A small bathroom was in the hall as well, a toliet and sink that was just before the kitchen, in the front hall. The door to the basement was in the kitchen, slightly ajar. The mudroom/laundry room would be connected to the den and lead out the brick patio, which overlooked another portion of the forest. The walls, which had once been a creamy yellow, had been painted a light blue, popping against photos and paintings he had hanging in the hallway. 

The kitchen itself looked like his own; island with barstools, large stovetop and lots of counter space, and a medium sized circular table that had six chairs sitting around it. Plates were piled in the sink, waiting to be set in the dishwasher and a bowl of dog food sat by the refrigerator, mostly eaten, splashes of water against the hardwood floor. G grumbled and grabbed a dishtowel off the oven before wiping up the spills and throwing it over his shoulder. 

“Ro, Milo and Mouse are all passed out on the couch. Baby bones ate dinner and talked to Grillby for a few minutes before he and Mouse played in the backyard for a little bit, came in and I got him to shower while Roman washed Mouse; that was one muddy dog.” G smirked like he was victorious and Sans quirked his lips upwards in a half smile, half smirk. 

“We flipped a coin to see who washed whom. Roman lost.” G said in way of explanation and Sans nodded, laughing though at G’s soft glare, muffled it and raised his eyebrows. G didn’t answer, instead grabbed a small red digital camera and lead the way to the den. There, on the large deep brown couch, covered in a warm blanket, was Milo, Mouse flopped over his feet. But Milo wasn’t sleeping on the couch. He was dead asleep on Roman, the lanky man’s shins a pillow for the Saint Bernard. Roman’s head was rolled the side, book hanging loosely in one hand over the edge of the couch, cover barely brushing the ground, his elbow bent and resting against the couch cushions. His free arm was wrapped around the sick seven-year-old, curled protectively overtop like he was afraid that Milo would roll off or that someone was going to take him if he didn’t wrap an arm around him. He was also drooling slightly on the throw pillow, blonde hair mussed and slightly damp, probably from showering after bathing Mouse. Sans had to hold in a coo from the scene and bite back a laugh as G held up the camera and took several photos, biting his lower lip to keep from laughing. 

“Hmn… Baba?” Milo asked, voice still a little hoarse as he shifted and woke up, which woke up Roman. G stuffed the camera in his back pocket just in time as his younger brother yawned and stretched. 

“Good evening Milo, Sans, brother. Did you sleep well?” Roman asked, looking at Milo, green eyes bleary from sleep and squinting slightly from lack of his glasses. 

“Mnh-hm. Thank you for letting me sleep on you.” Milo said, a yawn stretching out the end of his words. Roman chuckled and ruffled his hair before shifting his legs and wincing in pain. 

“You okay there, Ro?” Sans asked as his picked Milo up and situated him against his hip. Milo instantly latched himself to his father and wrapped his small arms around his shoulders, laying his head down and eyes falling to half mast. 

“Yeah, just that my legs have fallen asleep.” 

“Oh man, I’m sorry about Mouse. He’s getting bigger faster than we can keep up with, it seems.” Roman winced again and the large puppy twitched before rolling from his back to his stomach, large brown eyes staring up at Roman, guileless, tongue lolling out of his mouth. 

“Aww, come on Roman! You can’t be mad at a face like that!” G said as he plucked Kitty off Sans’ shoulders and wrapped her around his own. The older feline rubbed her face against G’s cheek, prompting him to scratch her more. Roman grumbled but bent at the waist to give the puppy a few ear scratches before Sans whistled, calling the dog to his side.

“We’ll get out of your hair. I should get Milo home and in a proper bed, and make dinner for Grillbz and I.” 

“Hmn, that sounds like a good idea- Wait, Alphys and Undyne are getting married?!” Roman demanded, checking his phone as G sat beside his brother, lifting his legs and rubbing feeling back into them. 

“Well, not yet. We just got the ring today, and by ‘we’ I mean Paps, Undyne and I. She kept me at her apartment for five hours while she freaked and then we spent two hours going over every damn ring in the store.” Sans said with a sigh, hugging Milo a little closer. His son still radiated warmth but it wasn’t at a dangerous level; it felt more like natural body heat than feverish, which put Sans’ nerves on less of an edge. 

“Oh, well that makes sense then. Well, we’re going to have to help her plan somet- Oh, it seems Papyrus has a plan.” Roman hummed, bringing the phone screen close to his face to be able to read the print before G plucked his phone from his little brother and smacked his leg lightly. 

“That’s bad for your eyes and we don’t need another person with semi-blind eyes. Three is enough.” G snorted before reading the texts, thumb slowly scrolling the messages down.

“Well, it seems we’re having a picnic next month. Sans, tell Grillby you two have to bring sandwiches. You should check your phone when you charge it.” He said, reading through the messages. 

“How did you-”

“If it were on, your phone would be going off and you’d look annoyed or confused. At the rate the group is texting, it’d probably be non-stop.” G said, sparing Sans a glance. He nodded and sighed, shaking his head.

“Alright. I’m gonna get going. See you two later.” 

“Later,” G said, eyes back on his brother’s phone screen, one hand rubbing feeling into Roman’s legs as he leaned back and started to read his book. 

“See you soon, Sans, Milo,” Roman said with a small smile and nod towards the pair before Sans nodded back and headed out the door towards his own home, Mouse paces behind him. 

“Did you already eat, baby bones?” Milo nodded and yawned, snuggling closer to Sans as he did so. 

“Yes, Baba. Uncle G and Uncle Ro made me eat more soup and bread and drink lotsa water. I’m still sleepy…” 

“Hmn, I’d expect so, baby bones. You had a pretty nasty fever and spent the whole day with your uncles; anyone would be tired after that.” 

“Even you?” Milo asked in child-like curiosity. 

“Nah, you know I’m just a lazy bones! I’d just make puns of intero-rest and get ar-rested for so many. You know how easily sleep is for me, Milo! I can do it with my eyes closed.” Milo groaned but Sans could hear his son giggling into his shoulder, trying to stifle it but failing pretty spectacularly. Sans chuckled and opened the front door before resetting the alarm and shifting Milo a little so he was better situated on his hip before climbing the stairs to his room, Mouse racing ahead. Sans helped his sleepy son change into his pajamas and once he had brushed his teeth and swallowed down some more medicine, picked up The Hobbit and turned to the bookmarked page, reading aloud until he heard the soft snores that meant Milo was well and truly asleep. It only took three pages. Sans would have been more worried had Milo not spent the day with G and Roman; normally Milo would demand three more chapters instead of just one, but it seemed G and Roman had worn the boy out. 

Sans smiled and tucked the galaxy covers a little higher around his son’s chin, pressing a gentle kiss to his temple, turned on the nightlight, shut off the lamp and scratched Mouses’ ears as he passed the foot of the bed, shutting the door most of the way once he was out in the hallway. 

“Right, now onto dinner and charging my phone.” Sans muttered before he made his way downstairs, opening the back door to let the dogs in. CB and Callhaen pranced around him, excited to have their master home, before Sans managed to calm them down and get them to lay down on their beds. He plugged his phone in and started to pull things out of the fridge to make a set of sandwiches. As he set the bread to toast in the toaster, his phone started to vibrate with messages. 

**Flower boy: HOLY SHIT FINALLY!!! MUFFET YOU OWE ME!!!**

**Spider Dance: Huhuhuh, I believe it is you who owes me, Asriel.**

**Fluffy buns: That’s a wonderful idea, Papyrus! What should we all bring?**

**Pun Queen: Oh, I can bring pie and sweets with Muffet.**

**Spider Dance: That’s an excellent idea, Toriel! I’ve found a new recipe for doughnuts that I want to try out.**

**Fire Demon: Undyne, congrats, you all owe ME money, cause I won, and what are we we planning now?**

**Coolest Bro: GRILLBY!!! GLAD YOU COULD ANSWER THE GROUP CHAT, IM SORRY IF WE’VE BLOWN UP YOUR PHONE!!! BUT WE ARE PLANNING A PICNIC FOR UNDYNE AND ALPHYS SO UNDYNE CAN PROPOSE TO ALPHYS!!!**

**Fire Demon: Well, that’s reasonable.**

**Gummi King: Well, what are we all bringing then?**

**Sweetpea: Oh, can Chara and I come as well? Also, how’s Milo?? He didn’t answer us at all Uncle Sans!!**

**Sweetheart: Is he sick??? Also, we’d come even if you said no, so just be wary. I have my permit, and so does Frisk.**

Sans winced slightly at the time stamp, marking it was about an hour and half ago. The conversation continued a little while longer, going back and forth about who was to bring what and how Milo was, etc. Sans smiled as he texted back before going to grab the toasted bread,

**Me: oh no. guess i should stay off the roads then, huh?**

**Sweetpea: Uncle Sans!!**

**Coolest Bro: SANS!!! DO NOT JEST SUCH A MOMENTOUS OCCASION!! CONGRATS YOU TWO!!**

**Sweetpea: Thank you, Uncle Papy!!**

**Sweetheart: Thank you, Uncle Papy!**

**Dramatic Cuban: Oh, my darlings, I’m so proud of you two!! But, we shall talk more on that later, I want to hear more about this picnic!!** **  
** **Spear and Fish: I want to ask Alph to marry me…. SO YOU ALL ARE GOING TO BE THERE AND HELP ME**

**Me: getting cold feet already, dyne?**

**Spear and Fish: NO!!!! I just want to be sure everything is amazing and it’s not a bad idea to have family nearby…**

**Pun Queen: Oh, Undyne, that’s so sweet!!!**

**Fire Demon: Mnh-hmn. I agree. Ah, I have to go. Dinner rush. Sans, I’ll be home late. Love you.**

**Me: Love you too, Grillbz.**

**Gummi king: Ah, young love.**

**Me: -eye roll emoji-**

**Gummi king: -tongue sticking out emoji-**

**Fluffy buns: Alright, so who is bringing what, just so we’re all clear once more?**

**Coolest Bro: I AM BRINGING SPAGHETTI, METTATON IS BRINGING EGGPLANT TAMALES, TORI IS BRINGING PIE AND COOKIES, MUFFET IS BRINGING DOUGHNUTS AND VARIOUS SWEETS, FLOWEY IS BRINGING CHIPS, GRILLBY AND SANS HAVE SANDWICHES, CHARA AND FRISK CAN BRING MUSIC AND BLANKETS, G AND ROMAN CAN BRING DRINKS, AND UNDYNE WILL BRING ALPHYS.**

**Fluffy buns: Shall we tell River and Gerson about this?**

**Coolest Bro: OH NO!! I FORGOT!!! BRB**

**River Riddles: Oh, hello dears…. Give me a second.**

**Turtle and Beard: Well, congratulations Undyne!! I’m so happy for you!!! Call if you need anything.**

**River Riddles: Congratulations, dear! I’m so proud of you!!**

**Gummi king: I know, right? Took them long enough.**

**Bookworm: Brother, don’t be mean.**

**Gummi king: We said the same thing about Sans and Grillby two years ago**

**Me: yeah, TWO YEARS ago**

**Gummi king: ….. Hahahaha**

**Bookworm: Annnnddddd G has fallen onto the floor laughing. Thank you Sans.**

**Me: you’re welcome -tongue sticking out emoji-**

**Bookworm: -eyerolling emoji-**

**Spider Dance: Well dears, we should continue the conversation later. I have family over for the night and should be getting back to them**

**Me: later muffet, talk to you guys later. I’m making dinner for me and Grillbz.**

Sans left his phone to charge and left it on silent before he went back to making sandwiches. Only, just as he was finishing Grillby’s sandwich, someone was wrapping arms around his waist, a chin resting on his head. 

“You know, when you said you were making dinner, I was a little worried.” Grillby’s voice was tired and worn from a long day at work, and his shirt smelled like grease and beer, but underneath was chocolate, charcoal, leather and oranges and something that was simply Grillby. Sans smiled and tilted his head back to kiss his husband’s neck. 

“Hmn… I learned my lesson the first time around.” 

“I didn’t think char could get that dark… Or be such a good glue.” 

“One time-” 

“That nearly burned down our house.” Grillby snipped but Sans could hear his smile before he pressed a kiss to Sans’ temple and released his waist. 

“I’m going to see Milo and take a shower. Wanna eat on the couch?”

“Love to.” Sans smiled, going to feed the dogs. 

“I’ll be down soon,” Grillby promised before he disappeared upstairs. Sans finished feeding the dogs and grabbed some plates and a beer for each of them and made his way to the couch. Soon as he sat down, however, he paused, simply staring at the wall in front of him without really seeing it. He was so very, very happy. He had a son, a husband, a  _ life  _ that he adored and was proud of. He hadn’t heard or seen any traces of Gaster since two years ago, Grillby was doing much better, he himself barely had nightmares anymore. He was, without a shadow of a doubt, happy. 

“Sans? Sweetheart? Darling?” Grillby’s gentle voice just in front of his shocked him out of his thoughts and he blinked, focusing back on the present moment. Grillby was right in his face, hair slightly damp, wearing his pajama's, glasses tilted down his nose as his amber eyes glowed a bright gold, overflowing with love and worry.

“Huh? Yeah? What’s up, baby?” Sans asked with a smile and Grillby let out a relieved sigh. 

“I thought for a moment you’d slipped into a headspace. You feeling okay?” Sans nodded, letting out a sigh. 

“Yeah, actually I am. I’m just thinking about how lucky I am that I have you and Milo in my life.” Grillby’s amber eyes seemed to spark with worry but he simply leaned down and kissed his husband gently, smiling as he pulled away from the chaste press of lips against lips. 

“And I’m incredibly lucky to have a husband who won’t burn down the kitchen making sandwiches.” Sans snorted and gave his husband his dinner, curling into his side as Grillby turned on the TV and put on Mythbusters, one arm wrapping around Sans’ shoulders as the other held his sandwich. Sans sighed in contentment and relaxed; he knew that the following weeks would be insane to the nth degree.

_-_-_-_

Sans leaned back in the shadow of the tree, completely comfortable as he watched Milo, Mouse, CB, Callhaen, Fuku, Frisk, Milo, Chara, Papyrus, Mettaton, Muffet, and Roman run around as Toriel and Asgore chatted on the blanket with Gerson and River, while G, Alphys and Flowey seemed to be arguing over something, but Sans was too far away to hear. Grillby was getting food but got dragged into conversation with Asgore and Toriel and was currently sitting on the blanket, signing with one hand, the other holding a can of sprite. 

“God fucking damn it…” Undyne’s voice at his side made Sans jump slightly and he looked up. She was wearing shorts and a short sleeve shirt, the early summer weather unusually warm for the time of year but no one was complaining. Sans raised his eyebrows and nodded to the spot next to him, previously where Grillby had been sitting. 

“What’s up?” He asked, worried for his friend. Undyne’s expression was slightly pinched, her eye screwed shut and her lips pursed, like she was scared to say something. She raked her hand through her hair and let out a frustrated, worried groan that sounded like a wounded animal.

“Ah, yeah. I know the feeling.” 

“How’d you do it, Sans? How’d you ask Grillby?” Undyne asked softly and Sans leaned back on his hands, fingers burrowing into the grass as he crossed his legs, glad he’d worn shorts so he could sun at least a little bit, and wriggled his toes, shoes and socks thrown beside him. He hummed for a moment, tugging at his black shorts and then his light blue shirt before he settled his weight on his hands again and leaned his head back, tilting it slightly to the side so he could stare at Undyne’s cheek. The redhead’s pale skin was slowly turning darker from exposure to the sunlight, her lean muscles rippling as she flexed and relaxed out of nerves. Sans let out another sigh and said with a cheeky grin, 

“Knock knock joke.”

“Ugh, of course. Didn’t know why I expect any different.” Undyne grumbled and Sans smiled. 

“Course, he scared the shit out of me when he didn’t respond immediately. And I was shaking the whole time, felt like I was gonna puke, honestly, the whole time. Didn’t really help that we’d only just gotten him back from Gaster and that it was a fucking miracle he was awake, let alone out of the hospital.” Sans huffed, blowing some of his curly hair out of his face. 

“I need a haircut…” He muttered before he sat up and crossed his legs, facing Undyne and gently touched her shoulder. 

“Undyne, look. Alphys loves you, adores you. You adore her, you love her. Be prepared for the worst, hope for the best, okay? That’s how we all do it. It’ll be okay.” Undyne nodded and Sans stood, brushing grass off himself before he said, 

“Well, no time like the present. Hey, Alphys!” His shout made several people startle and stare at him, most of all the scientist, who hadn’t heard her friend yell in years. 

“Y-yes, S-sans?” She called back, coming a little closer. She was wearing an adorable green and yellow sundress with black flats, though at the current moment her feet were free, flats somewhere with her things. Sans winked and tapped his nose as everyone else began to smirk and Undyne began to sweat, looking a little worried. 

“Undyne has a  _ really important question  _ for ya. You should go and see what’s up.” Sans said before grabbing his socks and shoes and sprinting away. He slid down next to Grillby, getting grass stains up and down his exposed legs but the expression on his friends faces was worth it. Everyone watched as Alphys made her way over to the other woman, her glasses reflecting the warm sunlight, blonde hair held back in a French braid.

“Y-yes, Undyne?” She asked, just loud enough to be heard. The group that had been playing with the dogs slowly stopped until they stood still, dogs yipping and barking at their heels before they went off to play a few feet away. Kitty, who had been sunbathing on the blanket next to Toriel, pricked up her ears and watched the couple as Undyne stood, scratching the back of her neck before she took a deep breath. No one could really hear what she said but they all knew what she was asking as she knelt to one knee, pulling out the box and opening it. The resulting scream from Alphys nearly shattered several eardrums. The smaller, stocky woman tackled her girlfriend to the ground, kissing her senseless as the others looked on, happy for their friends and wolf whistling as the couple laughed and kissed. 

“WE GET TO HAVE ANOTHER WEDDING!!!” Chara, Milo, Mettaton, Toriel, Muffet, Papyrus and River cheered at once and Sans winced at the noise as Grillby laughed.

“Oh, come on lovely bones. Let’s be happy for the new couple.” Sans laughed and nodded, a wicked glint in his eyes. 

“Oh, I’m going to come up with so many goddamn puns…” 

“Oh dear…” Grillby muttered but he was still smiling and pressed a soft kiss to Sans’ temple. He was happy. Sans was happy. Everyone was happy. Undyne and Alphys were to get married. Nothing would ruin that.

The next two and a half months were a whirlwind of planning, tux and suit fittings, dress fittings, venue choice, baking, and invitations but it all paid off in the end. Sans’ feet hurt like hell but seeing Alphys being walked down the aisle by Asgore, her pale yellow dress flowing like a river of sunlight behind her, Undyne in a beautiful blue and grey wedding dress, the colors so light it was almost impossible to see them. She had originally gone with a tux but after dress shopping with Muffet and declaring none fit what she wanted, the woman demanded that Undyne write out every single detail of what she wanted in a dress and the woman would see what she could do. The end result was a stunning sweetheart neckline corset with a string of pearls at the dip before Undyne’s chest and detailing on the corset itself that made it look like it were separate strips all held together through sheer will. The skirt flared only slightly and hugged Undyne like a glove but gave her enough room to walk about without feeling constricted. Muffet’s friend had made Alphys’ dress, for the same reason that the scientist couldn’t find any dresses that fit her dream. 

The pale yellow was like faint sunlight, with a slightly ruffled skirt that trailed after her for a foot or so, the delicate, intricate patterns that ran along the hem and the entire dress were unnoticeable unless you were truly looking. The bodice was another sweetheart neckline, also without sleeves, but the bodice wasn’t based on a corset, instead it looked more like one seamless piece. Alphys said she loved Eoywen’s dress from the Lord of the Rings movie, after Sans had her watch it with him when he found out she’d never seen it. Muffet’s friend took the dress, and Alphys’ dream dress, and mashed the two together. The two looked stunning. 

Sans felt Grillby nudge his ribs and he snapped back to attention, smiling wide as Alphys and Asgore came closer down the aisle. He, Grillby, Mettaton, Chara, Marie, and Muffet were Alphys’ bridesmaids, while Papyrus was Undyne’s best man, and Frisk, River, G, Roman, Flowey and Fatima were her groomsmen. Sans felt something light settle in his chest as he stared out across the church, seeing Gerson, Toriel, Blooky, Milo, Lana, Liam, Gray, Aaron, among many, many others all packed into the pews in the church. The organist continued to play and Sans sighed, content with the world. 

“You okay?” Grillby whispered as Sans leaned into his side and Sans simply nodded, smiling. Grillby smiled back and pressed a quick kiss to his husband’s head before straightening as Alphys reached the altar, her bouquet of roses, forget-me-nots, tulips and lilacs standing out beautifully against her dress, clasped firmly in her hands. 

“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to celebrate the union between these two women-” The priest began, a large smile on her face. Sans nodded to himself. Yup, all was well. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you want to see a specific scene? Or set of characters from Heaven in a Bottle, Hell in Drowning Memory? Leave me a comment with your suggestion and I will do my best to write a chapter (or possibly more) about it! No characters are off limits, so long as they were in the first part of this series. If you haven't, you should go and read that, as these will make no sense if you haven't read Heaven in a Bottle, Hell in Drowning Memory. I hope all is well and that you enjoy the story!!
> 
> -RR


	4. In the End, Everything's Alright... Right?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> College is growing close, Milo thinks he's subtle and the past is never far enough away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOLY SHIT YOU GUYS!!! I am SO SORRY for being gone so long, but you know, holidays are busy as all hell and I've been traveling, tossing ideas around and seeing family nonstop since I got home. Whew. ALSO, a massive thank you to everyone whose bookmarked and commented and left me kudos, it really makes me happy.  
> Well, I finally got a monster chapter out, which actually focuses on Milo and his boyfriend, Rue. This chapter is long and has numerous flips in perspective, I wanted to see how it would work out and I'm not too sure it turned out well. Drop me a comment, tell me what you think cause your opinions really do matter to me. This chapter includes backstory and references things from the first part in this series, so if you haven't read Heaven in a Bottle, Hell in Drowning Memory, you should go do that. Trust me, it'll help. Also, PLEASE READ THE TAGS!!! This chapter is one long trigger warning. And speaking of, TRIGGER WARNING: BLOOD, GORE, GUNS, BEATING A MINOR, GRAPHIC DESCRIPTION OF VIOLENCE, REFERENCES TO PAST DUBIOUS CONSENT AND DUBIOUS PROSTITUTION, ATTEMPTED RAPE (IT GOES NOWHERE, BUT STILL WARNING YOU NOW), A LOT OF BLOOD, REFERENCES TO MENTAL CONDITIONING, DEPRESSION, REFERENCES TO PAST MURDER AND KILLING AND GENERAL GANG VIOLENCE, MENTIONED PAST ABUSE, AND PSYCHOLOGICAL TRAUMA.  
> As always, I will have end notes explaining the chapter clinically so if anything bothers you, just skip there and you'll get the brief run down. As always, I am my own beta, and this chapter has numerous time skips, so if you see a mistake in grammar, spelling, or plot, etc, please drop me a comment and tell me, I will fix it soon as I can. Okay, enough from me, on with the story!  
> No, wait, I lied.  
> DISCLAIMER!! I OWN NOTHING, UNDERTALE BELONGS TO TOBY FOX!! I OWN NOTHING, aside from OC's and the plot of this series, I OWN NOTHING.  
> Okay, now on with the story!  
> I hope you enjoy and that all is well!
> 
> -RR

Hey, Ash Trash!” My heart froze as I turned around, hands clenching my backpack straps. I took a few deep breaths and smiled as I asked,

“Yes? How can I help you?” Making sure my bad eye was to the forest, where it would be hard to sneak up on me, though the training Dad, Baba, Aunt Undyne, Uncle Papyrus, Aunt Muffet, Uncle Ro, Uncle G, Asriel, Uncle Tonton and my boyfriend, though no one knew we were dating, Rue, had been teaching me since I was young. Rue was a more recent addition, as we’d been dating since the middle of Junior year. I was walking through the woods on my way to drop off Rue's Christmas gift early, seeing as Baba and Dad were adamant about me spending time with family on Christmas, even though they knew Rue and his little brother and had invited them to spend Christmas with us; it would be kinda of awkward to give him a photo album of all our dates and the note inside signed, _With love, Milo_. I had told them I was going to study and that was mostly true; midterms were coming up and Rue was, if incredibly lazy, incredibly smart and offered to help me study. I set my stance and strained to hear anymore voices.

“Well, you’re not Ash Trash…” A woman said, a snide smile crawling across her lips as she and a group of people slowly stalked forward, their boots crunching in the snow. I did a quick head count and estimated ten people were walking toward me, and an unknown number of people around me in the woods possibly. Slowly, my hands relaxed, woolen gloves Aunt Muffet knitted for me keeping my fingers warm despite the freezing temperature, and they were textured in such a way that it made gripping things easier. Things like the knife in my pocket that Dad had me sign papers for and carry with me at all times.

“No, I also don’t want any trouble. I’m a senior in high school, I have literally nothing to give you aside from some notebooks with chemistry notes, a cellphone, and a watch that cost maybe twenty dollars, also pretty sure it’s broken. So, why don’t we just say goodbye and we all pretend I have no idea who you are and we act like this never happened.”

“Hey, Temia, isn’t that the kid we’ve been seeing around Ash Trash recently? Couldn’t hurt to see if he knows where the punk is… I know Serif would be happy.” A voice a little closer than I liked wheezed at my left; he sounded like his vocal cords had been shredded and put back together poorly and half-assed. My scar itched. I fought the urge to scratch at it.

“Hmn, that is true… Hey, GD, what do you think?” A large man with a warm smile but cold, near dead, brown eyes came forward and shrugged, signing something I couldn’t understand, which fascinated me, despite the situation I’d found myself in. I could pick out some of the strange movements that Chara and Frisk would use to communicate, though they had mixed it with French, British and American sign so it was a little easier to understand. I picked out _that Gaster wouldn’t like it_ , but that was all I managed to read before someone came up behind me and slammed something across my shoulders.

I dropped to my knees with a pained cry before all those years of training and ‘games’ came rushing back full force. I rolled out of the way and ignored the sharp pains arcing up and down my back, rolling my shoulders as I came up on my knees and dropped to my hands once more, kicking my legs out and taking down the person who slammed my shoulders. A metal pole fell to the ground as they did, air rushing out of their lungs. I sprung to my feet, sliding slightly on the snow, and spun to face the rest of my attackers, who wasted no time.

“Remember boys, we don’t want him dead, just… Roughed up. A lot. Ash Trash has been gone long enough. Serif wants his toy home.” I felt something ignite low in my belly and I let out a growl, one I’d heard Uncle G utter more than once, deep within my chest. Temia looked a little surprised and then smirked, shaking her head.

“Ohohoho, we’ve got a fighter. Let’s show him how we deal with fighters.” A few nodded and ran forward, various weapons raised, but no guns. I would have found it strange had I not been concentrating on not dying. I dropped my backpack so I would be able to maneuver easier and slipped my hand into my pocket for the knife Uncle G had given me for my birthday before slashing one of the men along the arm, making him back off before I threw an uppercut into his jaw, making him drop like a sack of potatoes. I backed off, keeping my steps light before two rushed me. I dropped to the ground and rolled out of the way just as they got within arms distance of touching me. They slammed into each other and fell to the snowy ground in a heap.

I spun as footsteps approached my blindside, landing a roundhouse kick on one of the men. Immediately, he grabbed my leg and twisted, forcing me to go with him or else break my leg or dislocate something. I slammed into the ground, head ringing and blood dripping into my one good eye as my knife slipped from my hand. I kicked and felt something give underneath my foot, a grunt following seconds after as I pushed and kicked at the person who had my leg. When I was free I wriggled and tried to get to my hands and knees, actually managing to get to my feet and start running. I made it a little more than a few hundred feet when I fell, a sharp, angry pain lancing up my ankle. I screamed before struggling to get back on my feet, a white hot fire still roaring inside me as I started to try and figure out a plan through the haze that was filling my head.

A weight pressed me back into the snow and a throaty, guttural voice chuckled,

“Well, nowhere to run now, boy. Temia, caught him!”

“Good work, there! Now, what to do with him… He took down five or six of you idiots, so he’s not incompetent. Oh, if only we could steal him instead of Ash Trash. He’s so much more useful than that piece of shit. Oh, wait, I got an idea. You can start roughing him up. I want him bleeding. But remember, no killing, or Serif is sending all of you to the Core.”

“Yes ma’am!” The remaining voices chorused before snickers and promises of pain whispered from their teeth. I couldn’t concentrate. I felt someone kick me, and even with my stomach muscles tightened, the wind was knocked out of my lungs and I went sliding several feet. Someone else, or maybe it was the same person, kicked me again and I heard something go _crack_ as I screamed once more, the pain was unbearable! Someone grabbed my arms and dragged my to my knees before someone else kneed my stomach and then punched me hard in the side of the head. The one’s holding onto my arms let me go with the punch. I sprawled across the snow. Faintly, I heard the woman talking to someone on the phone.

“Hey there, Ash Trash. Oh, don’t growl at me! You’re little friend is in a lot of pain and I doubt that you want to be the cause of anymore. Oh? Don’t believe me? You should know by now, Trash, that I keep my threats.” She stepped on my ankle, where I could feel blood leaking into my sock as she ground the bones together underneath her booted heel. I screamed, tears streaming down my face from my partially blinded good eye, blood leaking from a cut and mixing with the tears.

“Ah, so you do know that scream. Well, then you know that he’s a goner. Good luck finding him, though.” I bit my tongue, trying to hold back another scream as she ground the most likely broken bones of my ankle together but it didn’t help. I screamed once more, wheezing for air as my ribs were most likely broken.

“Rue, don’t come! Please! I’ll be fine!” I yelled and Temia looked at me in shock before she began to laugh.

“Oh, honey… You’re the furthest thing from alright.” That was the last thing I knew before I was unconscious.

_-_-_-

_“Hey, your name is Milo, isn’t it?” A deep, even voice asked me and I startled before nodding._

_“Y-yeah… Wh-who are you?” I pressed my back to my locker, eye watching him for any sudden movement. I didn’t tell Dad or Baba but some kids had been bullying me and while they never truly did anything violent, maybe a punch or a kick to the shins, hurtful words about my skin color, my dad’s, or my eye. It didn’t matter. I knew how to fight, and if I fought back, I would have no problem beating the shit out of them but I didn’t want to hurt them. Taking the punches and ignoring the cutting words were better. Pacisfism always suited me, though I did run away before they could do some truly horrible things. Track team was wonderful, though I wanted to shoot about half of the team somedays._

_However, the teen in front of me didn’t look like the usual bullies. He wore a zip up red-orange hoodie and blue jeans with black converse. He had slightly shaggy blonde hair and bright heterochromatic eyes; one was a deep emerald green, the other icy blue, and a lazy smile. But there was a calculative light in his eyes, something that sparked in anger as he took me in, but I don’t think it was against me._

_“I’m Rue, Rue Swall. Nice to meet you, freshmeat.” He said, tone teasing._

_“My name is Milo.” I snapped defensively and Rue smiled, raising his eyebrow._

_“Got a last name, Milo?”_

_“O’Cain. Milo O’Cain.”_

_“Hmn. Well, nice to meet you Milo O’Cain. You’re in my art and history classes aren’t you?”_

_“Yeah, what of it?” I snapped, turning back to my locker to grab my books._

_“Well, I was wondering if you knew how to study for the upcoming history exam.”_

_“If you want me to do your homework you can go right ahead and fuck off.” Rue went silent for a moment before he began to laugh and he shook his head._

_“Oh man, kid… Hahaha, no, I was wondering if you could help me study! I slept the last few classes and it will probably affect my grades if I fail the test.”_

_“Fine. But no funny business. What year are you, even?”_

_“A sophomore.”_

_“What are you doing in a class meant for juniors?”_

_“I could ask you the same thing.” I rolled my eyes and huffed._

_“The other classes were boring and I wanted a challenge. Baba is always saying I should flew my mind, and that class was the only one they’d let me test into.” Rue nodded and leaned against the locker on my left side so I could see him easily and I felt a little touched that he would do that without me having to ask._

_“Alright, I’m ready.”_

_“How do you want to get to the library?” He asked, sticking his hands into his hoodie pockets, bag hanging off one shoulder._

_“Walk, I guess?”_

_“It’s supposed to rain, and I have a car. Come on, I’ll drive us.” I nodded and went with it, texting Dad and Baba I would be at the library with a friend. As we walked, Rue kept light conversation going and I found out he was seventeen, was interested in various types of music and told horrible puns like Baba. He also had a younger brother who was his whole world and they lived in an apartment not that far from school. He learned that I had two dads and was adopted, that I had a pretty big family and was fifteen, almost sixteen. And that I told far more terrible puns than he could hope to keep up with._

_“Oh, is that a challenge? Whale, don’t say I didn’t worm you.”_

_“It’s funny. Soon you’ll fish for me to stop. I look forward to your sparrowing defeat.”_

_We went back and forth until we reached his car, a beat up Saturn that looked like it’d seen better days but had snow tires and it was warm, so I didn’t care. We continued all the way to the library and I found he was pretty intelligent, despite his laziness and habit of falling asleep._

_“Are you narcoleptic?” I asked softly and he shook his head, yawning._

_“Nope. Insomniac.”_

_“Huh, so am I.”_

_“Another thing we have in common. A little weird, dontcha think?” He smiled, and I was quickly learning which smiles were real and which ones weren’t. This one seemed real enough._

_“Okay, why did the Crusades happen?” I asked and with that we dove back into studying. I jumped when my phone vibrated, Dad’s face appearing on the screen._

_“Hello?” I asked softly._

_‘_ Milo, where are you? It’s almost six!' _he didn’t sound angry, just worried._

_“Oh, shit! I’ll be home soon Dad, I promise!”_

_‘_ Alright, be careful. Do you need a ride? It’s raining pretty hard. _'_

_“No, I can walk-”_

_“I can give you a ride, you know. I wasn’t needed at work today.”_

_‘_ Milo, who’s that?’

_“A friend I’m helping study for our history exam. He said he can give me a ride, so I’ll be home soon. Love you Dad.”_

_‘_ I love you too, Milo. Remember, Chara and Frisk are going to home from college soon, they’ll want to see you.’

_“I know, Dad!” I rolled my eyes and at Rue’s amused smirk lowered my voice._

_“I gotta go, the librarian is looking at me evilly.”_

_‘_ Hahaha. Alright. Love you, son. _’_

_“Love you, see you soon.” and I hung up._

_“Well now, I’m a librarian?” Rue asked teasingly, eyelids drooping._

_“Oh, shut up.” I groused, shoving him. Normally, I would have been startled at my own forwardness but something about Rue made me loosen up and relax._

_“Alright, come on. We should get going.” He said, tone serious. I nodded and took a deep breath._

_I blinked, hand coming to my chest as I struggled to breathe. I couldn’t breathe… I was going to die… I couldn’t breathe… I slid down the wall, struggling for air as panic made my fingers twitch and tears roll down my cheeks. I thought I was past these… I had been doing so well!_

_“Milo? Milo, are you in here?” A soft knocking came at the door and in stepped Rue. His hair was a little longer and he had bags under his eyes but he looked worried. I had skipped sophomore year and was a Junior with Rue, though he was eighteen and I was seventeen. I couldn’t breathe properly. I gasped and panted, hands shaking as I tried to scroll through my contacts. Dad and Baba were out for their anniversary and trusted me enough to be alone home, though Uncle G and Uncle Ro came by and checked in on me once every few hours when I was home, just to be sure. Warm, calloused hands curled around mine and I shook._

_“Milo, look at me. It’s okay. It’s all okay, Milo, I promise.” I shook my head, eye squeezing shut tighter than before. Rue would hate me. He was going to hate me and think I was a disgusting freak- Warm, chapped lips pressed against my gently and I gasped, eye snapping open as Rue pulled away, his hands still wrapped around mine, eyes searching mine._

_“Copy me, okay? Breathe in deep and hold it.” I felt his chest expand underneath my hand, his thundering heartbeat soothing against my fingertips. “And let go.” He said in one long breath. I copied him, unable to tear my eye from his own._

_“Again, Milo.” He took a long, slow breath in, and held it for a few seconds, then let it go. He repeated it three or four more times before gently asking,_

_“Can I feel your pulse, Milo?” I nodded and he smiled, adding, “Can you use your words or do you want to sign?”_

_“Y-yeah… T-that’s fine…” I managed to stutter out and Rue put two fingers against my neck, looking slightly worried but calm nonetheless._

_“Milo, can you tell me where you are? How old are you? Who am I?”_

_“I-I’m a-at home, i-in the b-bathroom… I-I’m s-seventeen… Y-You’re R-Rue, m-my f-f-friend…” He gave a gentle smile, one by now that I knew was real, and nodded, a hand coming to cup the back of my head gently and press our foreheads together, his eyes staring into my eye._

_“That’s right. You’re doing great, Milo. It’s all okay, trust me. It’s all okay. I could never, ever hate you. Remember that time when you, me and Benny wove ribbons into Mouse’s fur and your dad’s came home to use taking pictures of the poor dog?” I giggled through the lump that formed in my chest and Rue smiled a little bit more._

_“Hey, Milo, why did the cowboy get a wiener dog?”_

_“I-I d-don’t know… W-Why?”_

_“Because someone told him to get a long little doggie!” I giggled once more, despite having heard the joke before numerous times._

_“Did you know that eating a clock is time-consuming?” I giggled a little louder and Rue smiled, his rolling timber helping my nerves calm._

_“What do you call a belt made of clocks?”_

_“I-I don’t kn-know. Wh-what?”_

_“A waist of time!” I chuckled this time. Rue kept telling terrible puns until I calmed down and managed to breathe evenly. When I was calm, Rue pulled away and asked, voice low and soothing, one hand on the back of my neck, loose and easy, thumb rubbing circles at the base of my skull, the other pressing my palm against his chest,_

_“Can I pick you up?” I nodded and was immediately swept into his arms. Rue was almost as tall as Dad, while I was barely taller than Baba. I felt small in his warm, strong, lean muscular arms but safe. Protected. Mouse, CB and Callhaen whined and danced around Rue’s legs, long used to his presence. Dad and Baba wanted to meet the one friend I managed to make and instantly liked Rue, though I’m pretty sure Baba did a background check on him. He would._

_Rue and his younger brother, Benny, would spend almost an obscene amount of time with me at home or out and about, but rarely ever at their small apartment. Rue’s jacket smelled less of cigarettes and more of honeysuckles, clementines and chocolate and something rich and deep that I couldn’t name even if I were to try. I burrowed into his chest, trying to smoosh my face into his arm, like that would keep me from having to face my confession. I felt him shift slightly before sitting down, something warm and broad draped over my shoulders._

_“Hey, Milo, open your eye, please.” I did as I was told, though slowly. It was dim, but the lights were still on- Rue shifted slightly and I realized that he had draped a blanket overtop our heads._

_“This always makes Benny feel better whenever he has nightmares. Now, can you tell me why you freaked out?”_

_“You’ll hate me… You’ll hate me and think I’m disgusting…” I mumbled and Rue shook his head slowly, sighing heavily. His breath smelled like mint._

_“Milo, I could never hate you. You’re my best friend, hell my only friend. I’d be a pretty big numbskull if I hated you.”_

_“I-I meant what I said.”_

_“What’d you say?” Rue asked softly, his green and blue eyes warm and soft._

_“I-I think I’m… In love with you…” I mumbled the last bit and Rue sighed and went quiet._

_“Milo.” I jumped and stuttered out,_

_“Y-yeah?”_

_“Can I do something?”_

_“S-sure?” Rue took a deep breath and slowly leaned forward until his lips were a breath from mine._

_“Can I kiss you?” he whispered and I nodded, unbelieving that this was my life. Sparks flew and grew, making my lips tingle and my face grow warm. After what could have been hours, Rue pulled back, just a little bit, and smiled, a slight blush growing across his face._

_“Well, that was…”_

_“Wow…” I mumbled._

_“Milo, I think I-_ ”

“Milo? Milo, come on babe! Wake up, please, wake up!” I moaned softly and shivered. I was cold. But I had been so warm just a few minutes ago…

“R-rue?” I croaked, wincing at the sound of my own voice. Above me was Rue, his face drawn into worried lines and a harsh light in his heterochromatic eyes, his breath coming in grey puffs as snow fell. I could faintly feel movement and slowly craned my head; we were walking. Oh. Well, he was carrying me.

“Are you with me, babe?” He asked, voice tense. I nodded and winced as my head spun. I shifted and felt something heavy draped over my chest; Rue’s thick red hoodie that I’d bought him last year was covering me, wrapped around me like a burrito.

“H-how did you-”

“Ssshhh, don’t speak. You need your strength. I used that ‘find your phone’ app I made you download when you kept losing your damn phone. I have your backpack, nothing was stolen. They really did a number on you though, babe. God, I’m so sorry.” I smiled weakly and opened my eye a little wider.

“It’s fine, baby. I’m… Alive.” I gasped, voice still weak as the pain slowly began to catch up with me.

“Sssshhhh, go to sleep, Milo. Everything will be okay. Don’t worry. I’m taking you to the hospital.” I nodded and mumbled something nonsensical before passing out once more.

-_-_-

Rue sighed and shivered as the cold bit into his back, his jacket wrapped around his smaller boyfriend. He tightened his hold as Milo fell unconscious and growled, resisting the urge to slam his head into a tree. It was all his fault. He fucked up so badly it wasn’t even funny. He should have known better than to think that he was free from Serif. He owed that slimy bastard a debt and he couldn’t run forever. He looked down at Milo’s unconscious form once more and felt tears welling up in his eyes. He used to think that he would never know how to love someone, that he would only ever be able to feel brotherly love for Benny, never be able to return emotion like the people around him.

At first, all he wanted to do was protect the smaller, younger teen; he’d seen him on the track team, in art and in history Freshman year. He was diligent, witty and so kind, even to those who didn’t deserve it. But he didn’t have any friends, and bullies pounced on every opportunity to try and knock him down, and still Milo smiled, shrugging and walking away, or he ran when the bullies started to get physical. Milo made him open up and actually relax, like someone wasn’t about to stab him in the back, and never expected anything from him, unlike how he’d been conditioned to react.

‘ _Hehehe…. Life on the streets as a whore does that I guess…_ ’ He thought bitterly before shaking his head. No, he would take care of Milo, call his dad’s, and then go and take care of the debt. Serif said if he was ever in the area and that if he were smart, he’d stay away. But if he didn’t and they caught up with him, he’d reel in the debt he owed him. With his life. Rue smiled down at his small boyfriend and felt guilt and remorse rush over him; Benny would be alone, Milo would be alone, but they’d both be better off. The tattoo he’d been branded with burned dully at the reminded that, at the end of the day, he was simply trash, an object used to pay off debt. He was nothing, he would never be anything. G, one of Milo’s uncles, had probably guessed where he got the tattoo on his shoulder, though he didn’t even remember how the other man saw it, and had pulled him aside once he saw it. The older man didn’t say anything about the mark, but told Rue that if he ever needed anything, to call him. Rue had looked him straight in the eyes and said,

“If I ever disappear, take care of Benny for me. And… Give this to Milo, please.” G looked startled, then somber and angry but nodded, taking the thin envelope. He understood. Probably all too well. That had been three months ago, just as school was starting back up. Rue paused to get his bearings and shake some of the snow off his pants before trudging back to his car, Milo’s backpack resting heavily on his shoulders, the smaller teen in his arms a constant reminder that he was never going to come back to him. The wind started to pick up just as Rue reached his car and he slid Milo into the backseat before he went to the driver's side, and slid in, the soft faux velvet warm against his wind chilled skin. He turned on his headlights and blasted the heat, directing it towards the back, before he took off like a bat out of hell towards Boulder General Hospital. Every red light felt like an age, and he may have broken several speed laws to get there, worry and pain gnawing his heart to pieces like maggots in a fresh corpse. He felt sick to his stomach and everything hurt but it was all phantom pains, pain that he would feel one last time before he would never feel again. So, he welcomed it. It was better than being empty.

When he reached the hospital, three or four nurses swarmed him, taking Milo from his arms and placing him on a gurney as Rue explained in a detached voice, what he knew happened.

“I found him on the side of the road, by the nature trails forty minutes away from here. He has a large bump on his head, his lips are slightly blue, maybe hypothermia or pneumonia but I kept him warm as possible. I don’t know if he has internal bleeding but he has three broken ribs, and at least two fractured. His ankle is the worst, I think the bones shattered, but it looked like a bullet went through his ankle and someone stepped on it afterwards. His name is Milo O’Cain, he’s on the track team at my high school, straight A student.” The nurses nodded and whisked him away. One nurse, an Asian man with kind eyes, guided Rue to a waiting area, his jacket in one hand.

“You look cold; I can go and wash this for you and bring it back for you to wear.”

“Thanks.”

“Do you mind if I ask you some questions when I get back? Milo should be out soon; his ankle didn’t look as bad as you think and his ribs should only need minor attention.”

“Sure.” Rue shrugged and the nurse went away for a few minutes, maybe an hour. Rue didn’t know. He was preoccupied, staring at his phone, turning hand over hand, trying to think of the words to explain to Benny that he wouldn’t be there to pick him up from fifth grade that day. He had already texted G and asked him to look after his brother and muted any calls the man tried before G finally texted him furiously.

**G: RUE WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK ARE YOU DOING?!??!!!**

**Me: Paying a debt. You promised you’d take care of Benny, no questions asked.**

**G: .........**

**Me: Just… Tell him I’m sorry. Tell him I love him and that he’ll be better off without me. And give Milo that letter, please.**

**G: ….. Fine. Don’t…. Don’t do anything stupid, please.**

**Me: Worried?**

**G: Extremely.**

**Me: Don’t. Just… Keep your promise. Please.**

With that, the nurse came back with his freshly cleaned and dried hoodie and a small smile on his face.

“Milo should be out of surgery soon; his ribs have been set, he has no brain damage despite the concussion, and his ankle’s going to be in a cast for a few months but he’ll be okay.”

“That was fast…” Rue murmured and the nurse raised an eyebrow.

“It’s been an hour and a half, Rue. Oh, sorry, my name is Phil. It’s nice to meet you.” Rue simply nodded.

“Oookay. Do you mind if I ask you some questions?” At Rue’s nod, Phil took a deep breath and dragged a chair to sit in front of Rue’s, leaning his elbows on his knees, staring at Rue’s downcast eyes, his brown eyes gentle.

“Okay. Rue, were you there when Milo was attacked?”

“No. I couldn’t protect him. I knew them, I thought I was safe but they went after Milo instead.” Rue’s voice was little more than a whisper, so soft that the slight squeal of shoes against linoleum, the squeak of wheels on a wheelchair and the bustle of people almost drowned his voice out.

“Who attacked him?” Phil asked gently, a growing pit of fear and pity growing in his gut.

‘ _Kids shouldn’t have to deal with this shit._ ’ He thought sadly.

“My past.” was all Rue said. “Serif and his little gang.” The venom in his voice was almost palpable.

“Rue?”

“Sorry… I just… Can I see him yet?” Phil pursed his lips and checked his pager, sending a message. Minutes passed in tense silence, Rue’s shoulder’s hunched and defensive, his eyes watching Phil like a cornered animal.

“Yeah, he’s out of surgery now,” Phil said with a smile.

“Great. Can I see him?” Rue’s voice was taut with worry, his phone clenched in his hand so hard Phil worried the boy would break it through grip strength alone.

“Of course, follow me. His parents should be here soon, anyways.”

“I know. I texted them.” Rue said softly, though he didn’t add that either man had answered him, or called, which meant they hadn’t seen the message, or had and were freaking out, trying to coordinate who went where. He smiled ruefully; to have a family like that, to be cared for like he mattered… Yeah, that’d be nice.

“Rue?” He bumped gently into Phil’s back and snapped out of his trance, humming as he blinked away the haze that settled over his eyes.

“He’s still asleep, but I can let you stay with him until family comes-”

“It’s okay. I just want to talk to him for a few minutes, then I’ll leave.”

“Okay…” Phil said, a small, worried frown pulling his lips down as he watched the teen go into the room and sit on the chair by the bed heavily, like the weight of the world was on his shoulders.

Rue stared down at his tiny boyfriend, knowing full well that Phil was at the doorway, waiting for him. He’d make this quick, like he promised himself. Slowly, he lifted a large, slender hand to Milo’s face and brushed the edges of the thick white bandages that covered his forehead and the left side of his face gently, reverently. Gently, he pulled a few locks of Milo’s thick black hair from the folds of the bandages and smoothed them to fall over top, worn callouses catching slightly at the rough bandages.

“Hey, babe… You’re going to okay now. I promised you, didn’t I? Hehe, normally I’d tell you a terrible joke but it seems I can’t think of any. Funny, that.” Rue paused and bowed his head, his hand not touching Milo clenching into a fist.

“I’m sorry. I’m so, _so sorry,_ Milo. I couldn’t… I couldn’t be brave like you and _tell you everything._ I thought I was protecting you from it all. But I just made it worse. Please, look after Benny for me, okay? Look after him and don’t hate me too much when I’m gone, okay? I’m so sorry, babe. I love you. _I love you._ But now this is goodbye.” Slowly, Rue bent over Milo’s prone form and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips, lingering as long as he dared before pulling away slowly. Reverently, he draped his coat across Milo’s blankets, placing his hands over top and making sure his lines weren’t tangled. With that, he turned and left, keeping his head down. Just as he left the room, however, and was walking down the hall, he heard rapid footsteps, though they barely made a noise, the fact that they made noise at all was what tipped him off. He ducked around the corner and peered at the group.

"WHERE THE HELL IS MY SON!?" Sans demanded loudly and Rue winced at the intensity. Behind him was Grillby, and with him was a tall man who looked a little like sans but with shorter hair and a crimson red scarf, and an amber eye instead of blue. Papyrus, then. He’d only met him, briefly, over the summer. With them were more people, presumably his aunts and uncles, and Rue twitched, anxiety spiking as reality came crashing around his ears. Milo’s parents wouldn't like him, wouldn't want him near their son after he was the reason Milo had the shit beaten out of him. He let out a shaky breath as he made eye contact with Roman, whose eyebrows raised but Rue ducked away before he could make a connection.

“Right in this room, Mr. O'Cain. The young man who brought him in is- Oh, he must have left already." Another nurse said, one of the one’s who’d been with the group that took Milo in for surgery.

"Who?!" Sans demanded. Still furious.

"Rue, I think Phil said his name was? He said Rue said it was his fault, and that he was going to put things right, I think?”

"If I ever find that punk I'm wringing his fucking neck..." Grillby growled. Rue winced and sighed. Yup. Better that he wasn't there. Slowly, he turned away, ignoring the people around him, ignoring the man consoling a small boy with soft, curly blonde hair, his sharp green eye tracking his movement, one hand crunching the envelope he held in one hand as the other was wrapped around the boy’s back, rubbing soothing circles up and down. He ignored everything until an idea popped into his mind and he sped up until he found a person in a lab coat with a nametag and a stethoscope.

"Can you tell something to Milo O’Cain when he wakes up, please?" Rue asked a doctor, his hair black with a touch of grey, with a sweet smile. His name tag said Doctor James.

"Aye, I'm headed there now. You a friend of Milo's?" His voice was a little breathless like he had run from another part of the hospital, and he kept glancing down the hallway like he wanted to run towards the room.

"Of a sort, yeah. Can you tell him despite everything, nothing can truly change? He'll get it."

"Sure..." James looked a little off put but before he could ask for more answers, Rue was walking away and lost in the crowd of people, swallowed by the hospital’s routine schedule. He slid into his car and curled his hands into fists around the steering wheel, taking a few shaking breaths before he pulled out his phone and dialed a number, waiting.

‘ _H-hello? R-rue?_ ’ Benny’s voice was shaky from unshed tears and he sniffed.

“Hey little bro. Look, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. But I love you, remember that I love you no matter what. G will look after you, I promise. I love you, Benny. I love you so, so much.”

‘ ** _R-Rue, you can’t-_ ** _’_

 **“** ** _Benny, calm down. You’re not going to be hurt by them ever again. I swore that. I promised. I never go back on a promise. I love you, Benny._ ** ”

“ ** _I-I l-love y-you too, Rue… Wait, you’re going to Serif?! Rue, please-_ ** ’

“ ** _Bye, Benny. I love you._ ** ” And with that, Rue hung up. He took a few deep breaths and dialed another number.

“Yeah, tell him I’ll be there and that he better keep his bargain- Okay. Yes, master.” Rue nearly bit his tongue to keep from screaming but swallowed his disgust and anger. He was nothing. He was worthless. He was better off dead, for everyone involved. That thought firmly planted, he took a deep breath and drove away, trying to ignore the way he shook and the tears that burned, unshed, at the corners of his eyes.

_-_-_

“Mmnph….” Sans’ head snapped upwards as his son roused, just as G came into the room with Benny, the small boy curled up in his arms, tears staining his face even as he slept. Sans shot his friend a look but G didn’t look at him, simply tightened his hold on Benny and a plain envelope in his hand.

“Milo? Baby bones? How’re you feeling?” Grillby asked softly, accent thicker than frozen maple syrup. Papyrus stopped pacing with Undyne as Alphys tried to calm her wife down as Asgore and Toriel texted Frisk and Chara updates. Mettaton watched his husband and tapped his foot, resisting the obvious urge to join him and Undyne in their pacing. Muffet leaned against the wall, aggressively knitting as Flowey typed on his keyboard, muttering under his breath as James stared at a fixed point, his thick black hair mussed from all the times his hands had run through it the last few minutes.

“Dad? Baba? Wh-Where am I?” he looked around and winced when he saw his foot was in a cast and raised up.

“You’re in the hospital, Milo.” Sans said gently as Toriel came over, her mothering instincts on full force.

“River and Roman should be here soon.” G said quietly as he looked at every point in the room but Milo, Sans and Grillby. Sans narrowed his eyes; G was hiding something. Something important.

“Sweetheart, can you tell us what happened?” Grillby asked, struggling to keep his voice steady as Milo nodded, holding a hand to his head.

“Yeah… I was walking through the woods to go meet Rue at the library when a group of people came up behind me and called me Ash Trash, I think they thought I was Rue. I tried to tell them that I wasn’t a threat and that I had nothing valuable on me, but the woman, I think her name was Temia? Yeah, Temia, said that a guy named Serif wanted Rue and that the best way was to get to him was through me… Then they attacked me, even though I fought back. I took down five or six before I ran, then my ankle was shot, I think, or broke… Then, they called Rue and I tried to tell him I was fine but the woman crushed my ankle further and they started kicking me and- Oh my god, where’s Rue?! He brought me here!” Milo struggled to sit up only to be held down by Grillby, who gave his son a gentle glare.

“Milo, sit still.” Milo huffed but did as his dad said. Sans finally piped up, still staring at Gerard,

“Hey, G, why do you have Benny? What’s with the envelope?” He pitched his voice to sound curious but the other man knew he had to answer. He let out a long sigh as Undyne cracked her knuckles.

“It’s from Rue for Milo. And… I made a promise.” Sans’ eyes went wide as Milo snatched the letter soon as G was close enough and tore it open just as James said,

“Oh, some guy, I’m guessing Rue, wanted me to tell you that despite everything, nothing can truly change. Said you’d understand.” Milo raised his gaze to stare at the doctor, hands shaking as tears started to spill over.

“James… When did Rue tell you that?”

“Maybe two hours ago? Why, is it important?” The doctor’s voice was carefully neutral, though he came a little closer, alarmed at the sudden spike of Milo’s heart monitor.

“I-I have to find him, Baba, Dad, he’s going to do something really fucking stupid! He should know better! Please, let me go and help him! I need-” Milo’s voice was rising to almost hysterical pitch, tears streaming from his good eye, desperation obvious. Papyrus swooped in as Sans fought to keep his desperate son still and pinched the nerves that would make him limp. Instantly, Milo’s eye rolled up and he fell into Sans’ arms, tears still falling freely.

“What was that about?” Undyne demanded as Toriel helped Sans situate Milo back on his bed as Grillby took the letter. He read it once, twice, thrice before Papyrus took it from the Scotts shaking hands and read it aloud, his voice becoming harder and more worried with each word.

"Dear Milo-

Normally, I’d have a bad joke to tell you, or something to lighten the mood. But… If you’re reading this, I’m probably dead, or I’m headed there. I’m sorry, I’m not entirely good with people but I’m good at you. Or, maybe you were good at me. I know that doesn’t make much sense, but then again, I never did either, did I? If you’re wondering why I’m dead, or dying, remember that tattoo? The one on my shoulder? Well, I never told you the truth about it. Or, the whole truth. It was… A bad memory, a choice between life and death. I should have chosen death. But Benny needed food and shelter, Serif, and by extension, Gaster, provided it. When Gaster found out I was under Serif, he only met me once and offered me an easier route, an easier life than that of a blood whore; you know, a trained killer, an attack dog. An object, a fuck toy on occasion I guess too. Come at the command of master. But, by then, Serif had already gotten his claws into me. I refused.

Maybe I was smart to; I’d seen… Clients go to the Core. They never came back, or if they did, they were different. Same person, but different. They never touched me after that, though, so maybe it was useful? I don’t know. I'm sorry that you got caught in my shit. That I couldn't keep you safe from them and that you suffered for my idiocy. I am probably the worst kind of person, because I killed and stole and lied and did anything I could to keep Benny off the streets and safe, but when I got out, when I ran away because someone almost took Benny, and someone left me money, a lot of money. I was cold, I was a shell. I didn’t care; I got a job and went to high school, but then I saw you. I saw your smile and your innocence and I wanted to keep you safe from the bastards that hurt you. Slowly, you changed me. You made me remember what it is to feel something other than empty. I know you said that even the worst people change, but they can never truly change. You know how I hate to say this, but for once I think I will. It's been a pleasure knowing you, dating you and learning to love with you. Good-bye, Milo O’Cain.” Silence fell over the room, each person staring at the piece of paper like it would tell them something more.

Papyrus’ hands were clenched so tight the paper crinkled and tore slightly, his face pale underneath his olive skin, Mettaton holding onto his shoulder tight enough to bruise, anger written across his face. Sans looked like he was torn between the urge to puke and strangle someone while Grillby simply stared in shocked silence at the doorway like he expected someone to come through it any moment. G simply rocked Benny side to side, a fire in his eyes as he kept his face carefully blank, a low growl rising from his chest as he struggled to maintain control, Benny dead asleep in his arms. Muffet clenched her knitting needles so tight her knuckles turned white-yellow, her dark brown eyes promising murder as Undyne shook in place, Alphys struggling to control herself and her wife. Asgore simply looked blank, murder in his eyes as James took a few deep breaths to try and control himself. Asriel simply stopped typing, his head bowed as he tried to process what just happened

“Sans, we have to find this boy!!" Toriel snapped, her voice breaking the tense silence that settled over them like a choking blanket. Her voice shook with barely restrained rage, her whole body set to attack, her eyes vibrant hazel pools of anger and determination. It was like a spell had been shattered.

“Flowey, can you track his cell phone? Or his car? Serif’s territory should be in Denver, if he kept the same patterns I think he did. Christ, we’re hearing from that bastard again?!” Sans muttered the last part. No one had to ask who “that bastard” was. They all knew it was Gaster. Grillby flinched and rubbed at the back of his neck, his amber eyes staring at something far away.

“Asriel, we’ll have better luck at the office,” Papyrus said as Undyne started to pace and growl, her knuckles cracking and teeth bared.

“Right.” The short blonde stood and ran out of the room, Papyrus, Undyne, Muffet and Mettaton following.

“Grillby, please, stay here with Alphys and Toriel-” Sans started but his husband cut him off by coming around the bed and pressing a sound kiss to his lips.

“No problem, lovely bones. Make sure you give them a special dose of hell for me, yeah? No one messes with our son’s boyfriend and gets away with it.” Sans smirked, a wicked look coming across his face that would have sent shivers down a more sane person’s back.

“You got it, baby.” He said before kissing Grillby once more. When they pulled away, Sans hugged him tight and signed against his back,

_I love you._

_I love you, too._ Grillby signed back, against his shoulder, before dropping a kiss to his head and letting him go.

“Now go and give these assholes a bad time.” Sans nodded and ran out the door, Asgore just behind him. G stayed where he was, slowly rocking Benny back and forth, eye trailing his friend just as Roman and River burst into the room, worry palpable.

“What- Gerard, why do you have Benny?! Where’s Rue? Why is Milo in the hospital?” G handed Benny to River and said,

“I’ll explain on the way. River, stay here, watch Benny with Toriel and Grillby and Alphys, guard Milo. Got it?” They nodded, cradling the child easily, a hard light in their eyes.

“Of course. Rough waters tend to drown people after all, and those who tip the boat are best to drown.” G gave his friend a vicious smirk and nodded before dragging Roman out of the room and running down the hallway.

_-_-_

“You piece of worthless, disgusting, degrading, useless, pathetic, fucking dick sucking garbage!” Each word was punctuated with a kick or a punch against his bare torso. Rue didn’t even flinch at this point. He was beyond care. He had resigned himself to death. He didn’t deserve anything more. This would be the last time he left someone be hurt in his stead, the last time he failed. He fell to the ground once more, spitting out blood, the copper tang thicker than before- Oh, mucus. His nose was broken. The freezing cold floor was almost a boon to the heat of the blood slowly leaking down his back, a balm to the burns on his shoulders. This had been going on for hours but for some reason, they’d yet to kill him. His throat had given out a while ago, blood coming up more and more often than spit. So he simply stopped screaming, stopped vocalizing, whimpers aside.

“Hahahaha… How the fuck is he not dead yet?” Someone panted and another voice, too low for him to hear, responded.

“But that takes all the fun out of it. Hey, GD, what do you- Huh? Oh, yeah, we already used the Ash Tray as an ash tray; made him scream real loud, didn’t you hear it? Nah, the whip’s fun, though he did start to cough up blood so Boss made us stop. Like I said, shooting him takes all the fun out of it! Well… We could… Hehehe… I like that idea. Come here slut- Oh, wait. We broke your leg, didn’t we? Well, maybe you still have a good fuck left in you.” Rue shut his eyes and focused on happier images as he heard the flick of a knife, the freezing cold of the floor sinking deep into his bones. Maybe it would make him so numb he wouldn’t care, wouldn’t feel anything anymore.

He and Milo on their first date, the way he laughed when Rue told him a particularly bad joke, Benny being an adorable ten-year-old, curious about everything, and despite their shit life, happy to meet anyone and everyone, attaching himself to G like the father they never had, the older man caring about them despite Rue’s insistence that they were fine, his and Milo’s first, real kiss, slow dancing with him in the moonlight, him teaching Milo how to cook, reading Benny bedtime stories, the faint smell of home before it was up in flames. Good food in his belly as Grillby taught him different dishes, snuggling close to Milo without feeling the need to repay a favor, the first Christmas Benny got to spend with more than one or two meager gifts, but with several people around him and happy. Benny showing off his new school clothes and school supplies, almost literal stars shining in his eyes.

“Hehehe… Hope you’re not completely useless- Aughk!” the person above him suddenly moved away, just as he cut through his pants, cutting into his leg. Rue whined in pain but went still after that. Sans shot another man in the head, face blank as Papyrus ran past him with Mettaton and G and Roman, Asgore in the hall with Undyne and Muffet, fighting off any help that tried to come near. He focused on the lump on the floor, covered in bruises, congealing blood, and one leg sticking out at an awkward angle. Fire that he hadn’t felt in years erupted in his belly and he rushed down the steps, dodging Papyrus and his crowbar, Mettaton’s arcing electrical kicks and G and Roman as the brothers fought in near perfect synch, standing in front of the boy.

“G, left!” Roman snapped and a shot rang out, making a woman drop dead to the floor as she came at Sans from behind, his attention solely focused on getting to Rue.

“Hey, hey buddy… Hey, it’s gonna be okay, it’s all gonna be okay.” Sans said, making his voice soothing as humanly possible with the anger that was pumping through his veins. Rue whimpered, opening one eye and wincing away from Sans, fear in his eyes.

“Hey, Rue, it’s okay. I’m not gonna hurt ya, I promise. I’m here to take you to see Milo.” Finally, the last shot was fired and Asgore came down the stairs, Muffet and Undyne close at hand.

“Sans-” Asgore’s voice was cold as death itself but Sans held up his hand, shaking his head.

“Rue, I need you to trust me, alright? I promise, I am going to help you. I swear, I’m going to help you. We’ll get you all patched up and you’ll get to see Milo again, and Benny. I’m sure they’d like that. Mettaton, find me something to splint with, and cloth. His leg’s broken, we need to reset it.” The man nodded and took off with Undyne and Muffet as G came over, kneeling beside the man, lifting Rue’s head and pillowing it on his lap, running his hands over his face, wiping away tears, snot and blood before grabbing his nose and clicking it back into place. Rue whined once but kept still.

“Rue, can you understand me? Do you know who I am?” G asked softly.

“G-Ger-Gerard…” Rue managed, voice weak and hoarse from screaming. G nodded and smiled, taking a handkerchief from his pocket and wiping away the blood that gushed from his newly reset nose.

“That’s right, kiddo. Focus on my voice. Sans is going to help you, alright? We’re all going to help you. Is there anything that hurts a lot when Sans touches it?” Sans ran his hands over Rue’s body gently as G spoke, pressing here and there, stopping when Rue whimpered or whined.

“Best I can tell, you have a few broken ribs, a few fractures, a messed up disk in your spine probably, and a broken leg. And you’re getting sick, fast, plus all the minor injuries.” Sans said, voice clinical and detached as he struggled to reign in his fury.

“We found a med kit!” Undyne hollered as she, Muffet and Mettaton began thundering down the stairs once more. Sans moved out of the way, down to Rue’s leg as G kept talking nonsense, trying to keep the teen conscious as Papyrus knelt on the other side of his leg.

“We reset his leg, stitch anything major and get the fuck out of here, yes?” Sans asked and the other’s nodded, Undyne fingering the trigger of her gun as she waited for a surprise.

“I don’t see Serif here, or when we were going through the bodies upstairs; this was a small location; there are maybe fifteen people.” Roman supplied, voice dead as he reported to Asgore. The large man let out a long breath and nodded.

“Call the clean up crew and the FBI; they can claim a gang fall out, or whatever. But we cleaned up a mess.” Asgore ordered. Undyne nodded as she dialed the number.

“That’s it, Rue, that’s it. It’s all going to be okay, I promise. This is gonna hurt, but it’ll be okay. Bite down on this for me, kiddo.” He held up an old leather glove, one he wore when handling a weapon, and Rue did as he was told while Sans and Papyrus grabbed a portion of his leg, Mettaton ready with the splint.

“One… Two…” Sans counted before he nodded and they pushed the bone back into place. “Three.” Mettaton replaced Sans and wrapped Rue’s leg tight between two pieces of wood. That done, G pinched the nerve behind Rue’s neck, making him limp as he screamed from the sudden pain, apologizing as he did so.

“I’m sorry, I know, it hurts. I’m sorry, Rue. I’m sorry. Muffet, stitch him!” He snapped and the woman nodded, already threading the needle and stitching the wound on his leg shut as Sans went to wrapping the other bleeding wounds, smearing salve on the burns and feeling the urge to shoot a few more bodies, despite them already being dead. No child should have to endure that kind of pain. Ever.

“Alright, this is the best we can do for him here. Are there any pants nearby? Sweats, or a shirt?” Papyrus thought for a moment before sprinting away, out of the room and up the stairs only to return minutes later with a pair of large, loose sweatpants. He took a knife from G and cut a slit down the right leg, almost all the way up to the hip, before Sans helped him slide the pants on over top.

“There we go; he can wear my jacket,” Asgore said, meaning the coat he’d left in the car in favor of his bulletproof vest. The large man bent and gently scooped Rue into his arms, leading the way up the stairs and out of the building, the rest of his team following. Boss Asgore slowly melted away, replaced with Asgore, the gentle giant. Sans climbed into the back of the car and accepted Rue’s limp body, G climbing in after him to help keep him steady. Papyrus took the driver seat as Asgore took the passenger, the others climbing into the other car.

The drive to the hospital was tense and silent, only the sound of a keys clicking on a phone as Asgore texted the others.

“Chara and Frisk will be here tomorrow morning with Fuku and Mouse. James said Milo is still asleep and that River and Toriel are keeping an eye on Grillby to keep him from pacing a hole in the floor.” Asgore supplied and Sans nodded, letting out a sigh as the tension slowly left his body. He looked down at Rue, and even unconscious, the kid looked afraid.

“Did I ever look like that?” Sans asked G softly, who took one look at the teen and nodded.

“Only you were ten times as tense. Anyone who tried to wake you up that wasn’t Gaster, Paps, me or Roman usually got a knife at their throat. Let’s just hope that whatever happened to Rue isn’t irreversible…” Sans sighed and nodded. He and Papyrus had been about Rue’s age when they got out, but they’d never been branded, and had had an actual father figure, as psychotic as Gaster had been, in their lives to keep them from going insane, plus they had G and Roman, and later, Grillby and Mettaton. Sans let out a long sigh. Rue had a long path to recovery. The teen shuddered in his uncouious state and Sans cranked the back heater as high as it could go.

“I’m going to talk to Ruby and Crow, see if they’ll take Benny and Rue for a few months, get them rehabilitated,” G said softly.

“The Light House? I understand Rue, but what happened to Benny?” Papyrus asked, not taking his eyes off the road.

“They both could speak WingDings, though it was choppy, they spoke it. Benny, when I was trying to keep him from crying his cornea out, looked me straight in the eyes when I said everything was going to be alright and said that nothing was ever alright and that Rue told him the same lie again and again to keep him from worrying. He broke down and told me that he felt empty some days and other days he felt normal but muted; these kids are seriously fucked up. They need some unconditional love, Paps.”

“Well, you always said you wanted kids,” Papyrus said, trailing off as G shrugged.

“Maybe. Who wants a late forties half blind writer with lung problems as a dad though?” G mumbled and Sans nudged his friend’s side.

“G, you know what these two went through better than anyone, Papyrus and I aside. Give it some time, but I think you’ll like being a parent.” G nodded and sighed. Silence, less tense but still filled with anxiety, settled over the group once more.

When they pulled into the hospital lot, snow flew from underneath the tires and Asgore was out of the car before Papyrus even came to a full stop. He stood, waiting for Rue and took him gently as if he were handling a newborn babe, before striding briskly to the hospital entrance, his shoulders drawn back and head tall, radiating an aura that said ‘ _You will listen to me because it you don’t, I will stab you through with a spear_ ’. G jogged in after him, fluttering around like an anxious parent before the teen was wheeled through the green doors that marked the edge of the regular hospital and the entrance to surgeries, white splashed with red thoroughly mopped up and overlaid with a pine smelling cleaner, bleach and antiseptic.

Sans and Roman managed to drag the man upstairs to Milo’s room, the teenager fretting while he signed, Grillby trying to soothe him best he could. Toriel was perched on the other side of the bed, humming an old lullabye that had Milo’s eyelids drooping until he finally yawned and settled back into the pillows, finally asleep. Benny was curled up in Crow’s arms but G took the young boy the second he came into the room, the large Native American giving him a tired smile.

“He was asking after you when he woke up.” he said softly and G nodded, sighing tiredly.

“I’m getting too old for this shit, really.” Crow nodded and gestured towards the cot.

“Get some sleep my friend.” G nodded and gently placed Benny on the cot and leaned against the wall but the ten-year-old woke groggily, looking around.

“G-?” He mumbled and the man nodded, tucking his blanket tighter around him.

“Go to sleep, Benny. There’s nothing to worry about, Rue’s safe. I’ll wake you up when we can see him, okay?”

“Okay… Dad…” And dragged his pillow over to G’s leg and flopped down, dead asleep. G simply sat, stiff as a board.

“Did he just…” He whispered, eye wide as he looked at the small child.

“I think he did,” Roman said with a smile and G groaned, wishing for Kitty’s warmth and missing her greatly. The poor thing had died in her sleep a few months ago and G hadn’t gotten a new cat since.

“Where’s Alphys?” Undyne demanded, lowering her voice as Grillby glared at her.

“She went to grab some food for us and pick up Asriel.” Toriel said softly.

“Who wants to stay here tonight?” Sans yawned, already exhausted.

“We all will.” Papyrus stated firmly, murmuring assent from everyone in the room echoing the decision. Crow nodded and pulled out his phone, sending a text, before putting it back in his pocket.

“I’ll see if we can get a waiting room with cots for you all.” Sans nodded in gratitude before he fell asleep in mid step and would have fallen had Muffet not caught her friend and placed him on Milo’s bed, where he curled into a ball beside his son.

It took a week. A solid week for Rue to regain consciousness. In that time, Benny had been introduced to Lala, Jade, Danny, Ember, Crow, James, and Ruby and had his options explained to him; he and Rue could spend a few months at Light House and then be adopted or they could spend a few months at Light House and live in the small town. Anything they chose, they would be given protection until they were sure Serif was gone. Benny sighed and shrugged.

“I want to be with Da-Gerard and Rue, but Rue should agree cause I don’t want to be separated from him.”

“When he wakes up, you two can talk it over with me and Crow, okay?” Ruby said with a smile, crouching so she was at Benny’s level. Chara and Frisk arrived the day after they got Rue to the hospital and when they were filled in on what happened, Frisk looked, for once in their lives, murderous and had to leave, Chara chasing after their twin, calling their name. Papyrus and Sans found the pair on the terrace for patients who couldn’t be very far from their beds but needed fresh air. Frisk was shaking so hard it was a wonder their skeleton didn’t jump out of their skin and Chara was hugging them tight as they could, whispering nonsense to help them calm down. Frisk was usually the peaceful one, so to see them beyond enraged and afraid of the anger they felt was more than a little disconcerting. Papyrus and Sans managed to get them to calm down, however, and after a brief walk in the garden, snow untouched by anyone else, birds and small creatures aside, Frisk and Chara calmed down enough to go back to the room. Mouse was sitting at the foot of Milo’s bed, tongue lolling out of his mouth but his large brown eyes took in every person with an intelligence that was unnerving. Fuku sat closer to Milo, licking his hand and getting him to scratch her ears.

Once Milo could get out of bed without dizzy spells, which was day three, he was given a wheelchair, which he used to visit Rue, who was in ICU. Sometimes Benny would sit on his lap and G or Roman would push the pair towards Rue’s room, or Milo would go alone. All of Under Tale visited the teen as well, and it was on the seventh day, heading into the eighth, that the teen woke up. Sans and Grillby were sitting side by side, Sans dead asleep against Grillby’s chest, his husband’s arms wrapped tight around his middle when Rue gave a soft moan and shifted in his bed, eyes opening blearily.

“Sans, Sans wake up! Rue’s awake!” Grillby said, excited and relieved. His small husband groaned so Grillby rolled his eyes and set the shorter man down on the chair before turning to Rue with a smile,

“Welcome back to the land of the living, Rue. Someone wants to see you.” And jogged out of the room. Sans waited until he was gone to open his eyes and walk over to Rue, who looked terrified when he realized it was Sans who was standing over him.

“Listen, kid. I know. I read the letter you left Milo, or really, Papyrus read it aloud. What happened to you is nothing to be ashamed of; you’re stronger than you give yourself credit for, alright? And before you tell me I have no clue what the fuck I’m talking about, trust me, I do. Papyrus and I were raised by Gaster; we’re his sons.” Rue’s eyes went wide and his mouth opened, either to speak or scream, Sans had no idea and he hurried to add,

“We got out, we left, when we were about your age. We went to college, granted pretty damn young, but still. G, Gerard, and his brother, Roman, helped us get out. They were raised like we were too. Milo knows that. Or, some of it. And I gotta say, I’m really happy you’re still alive, because it would suck to have my son’s boyfriend dead when I could have done something about it.” Sans said, trying to end with a bit of dark humor. Rue looked down and coughed as he tried to speak. Sans quickly handed him a cup of water and helped him drink, before Rue managed,

“Why… Why don’t you hate me? Why aren’t you disgusted by me?”

“Rue, I was the same way.” Sans sighed, sitting on the edge of the bed. “I asked myself half a dozen times each hour why Grillby, my husband, was my friend when my hands were coated in blood, had been since I was able to walk. I asked myself why he cared, why he stopped me from self destructing. And then he showed me that I was worth it, that I was someone worth loving. I have a feeling Milo is that for you, huh?” Rue nodded and then his jaw dropped,

“How did you-” Sans laughed and shook his head.

“You guys  _do_ know I’m a professional spy, right? And that I was raised to be observant? And that my husband is a special ops vet, right? You two may have been subtle to anyone else, but to us? Oh, man, you guys were as subtle as drunk elephants trying to roller skate on ice, which is to say, not at all.” Rue buried his face in his hands and Sans chuckled.

“Don’t worry, Grillbz and I think you two are cute together, so you’re fine. Just, talk to us, alright? I can guarantee that between me, Milo, Paps, G, Roman and Grillby, not to mention the rest of Under Tale, plus Chara and Frisk, that we can help you through your shit. It’s gonna be a long road, but if you want to get better, and you want to see this life through to the end, do yourself a favor. Don’t give in, stay determined. Just know,” Sans said with a smile as Milo came hobbling in on crutches, the rest of Under Tale, Grillby, G, River, Roman and Benny, plus Chara and Frisk, following the teen. “If you’re ever upset, remember that someone really cares about you.” Milo flung himself at his boyfriend the minute he reached the bed, clutching at his shoulders, burying his face his neck, gasping through his tears,

“You are never, ever, _ever_ allowed to do something as stupid as that ever again, clear?” Rue nodded and laughed, for the first time in a long time feeling something warm grow in his soul.

“Yeah, clear.”

Sans hadn’t been lying when he said it would be a long and hard road. Rue and Benny spent six months at Light House, all while Rue finished high school and picked his college, which was in Oregon, and healed. Benny made huge leaps in overcoming his depression and with some medication and visiting James, and visits from Under Tale and Chara and Frisk, and Toriel, the young boy quickly bounced back. Rue recessed some days but talking to the family he had been absorbed into helped get him through the bad days, which were pretty frequent. In the end, G wound up adopting Benny and Rue, though Rue didn’t call him ‘dad’ or anything of the sort, Benny immediately attached to the man and followed his footsteps across the house. G also got another Maine Coon cat, who he swore was Arial as a damn cat.

“Ready?” G asked as he got into the car, all of Rue’s stuff in the trunk of the car. The college freshman took a deep breath and squeezed G’s hand as he reached back from the front, nodding.

“Ready.” G smiled and ruffled his hair as Benny squealed in excitement at the long car trip. Papyrus honked and called out the car window,

“Come on! We were supposed to be on the road twenty minutes ago!” G laughed and Roman shook his head, rolling his shoulders before leaning back into the passenger seat.

“Well, it’s not a road trip if family isn’t along for the ride, is it?” Rue snorted and smiled, shaking his head as he saw a text from Milo, who was making a _gag me_  expression in a photo as Sans and Grillby kissed in the front seat.

“Yeah, it really isn’t.” He sighed, happy. Benny curled against him and started to babbling about all the things Sherlock, his own cat, had done. Said cat was stretched, sleeping, across his lap, while G’s cat, Fia, purred in Roman’s lap, sunning herself. Rue settled in further and chuckled. Life was finally okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter summary: 
> 
> -Milo is walking through the nature trails to reach his boyfriend, Rue, who is waiting at his work and doesn't know Milo is coming; this is so Milo can surprise him with an early Christmas gift and so they can study for their senior year midterms before high school lets out for winter break.  
> -He is attacked by a group of thugs from Serif's gang, who is a branch of Gaster; Gaster never approved the attack, not that that means much. Milo manages to fight five or six before he bolts; however his ankle is shot and his boyfriend is called, proving that he is being beaten  
> -Milo slips into unconsciousness, dreaming about the various situations he's been in with Rue; their first meeting, when Rue asked him for help studying for their history exam, the pair share a history and art class; friendship grows  
> -Milo and Rue start to date, though in secret, in Junior year after Milo accidentally confesses to Rue and has a panic attack which Rue helps him out of and confesses to him as well; Grillby and Sans like him and his younger brother Benny because they are Milo's first actual friends outside of the family  
> -Milo wakes up in Rue's arms and Rue tells him he's going to be fine; he takes Milo to the hospital and tells Gerard, who saw a tattoo that branded him as a 'blood whore' or an attack dog who's also a fuck toy to certain people, thus making Gerard protective of the teen and his brother, to take care of Benny  
> -Milo has three broken ribs, two fractured ribs, a serious concussion, and his ankle was broken but the bullet went through his leg and he'll be out of his cast in four months  
> -Rue, despite having been out of the gang for several years, goes back to pay off his debt once and for all with his life, as were per the terms Serif set out for him  
> -Sans, Grillby and Under Tale rush to the hospital as Rue leaves, and G gives Milo a letter Rue wrote for him while he's also comforting Benny, who spoke to his brother once more before breaking down into tears  
> -Rue explains his past in a letter, Papyrus reads the letter aloud after pinching Milo's neck to make him pass out as once he read the letter he became hysterical; Under Tale immediately goes into protective mode  
> -Turns to Rue, where he's getting the shit beaten out of him, has been for hours with few breaks, and is almost raped but the assaulter is shot dead by Sans  
> -Mettaton, Papyrus, Sans, Asgore, Undyne, and Muffet, as well as G and Roman, storm the small holding area and kill all fifteen people, Rue aside  
> -Rue has a broken leg, several lacerations of varying depth, some of which Muffet stitched, his leg being set by Sans and Papyrus, several broken ribs, a terrible concussion, and several hairline fractures; G tries his best to comfort the boy and knocks him unconscious, once again with the nerve at the back of his neck  
> -G contemplates adopting Benny and Rue  
> -At the hospital, Rue falls into a week long coma but when he wakes up, Sans and Grillby were the ones in ICU visiting him and Grillby goes to get everyone else while Sans tells Rue that he and Benny have a home with Under Tale and explains the barebones of his, Papyrus', G and Roman's up bringing and tells Rue that everyone in Under Tale, G, Roman, Grillby, and Chara and Frisk, plus Milo, will be more than happy to help him if he ever feels down or depressed or is struggling  
> -Sans also tells Rue he and Grillby knew that they were dating because they may have been subtle to anyone else, Sans was a professional spy and raised to be observant and Grillby was a special ops veteran.  
> -Rue and Benny, after Rue heals and they spend a few months at Light House rehabilitating, are adopted by G, who is immediately Dad for Benny and just, G for Rue, which he's fine with  
> -Chapter ends with Milo, Rue, and all their family taking them to college
> 
> Have an idea? Want to see a specific character or pairing? Do you want to know what happened to make a character the way they are? As long as they’re in Heaven in a Bottle, tell me! I love suggestions and your input, so drop a comment guys!


	5. First Date... Dating... Start?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans is trying, maybe too hard. Things get burned, then fixed, and teasing your new partner is rather fun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's this?? ANOTHER CHAPTER APPEARED!!! Yes my dear readers, a new chapter has appeared. This one is just pure Sansby fluff, and there is a reason Sans is not allowed to cook without someone else in the kitchen. Baking? Sure. Cooking? Nope. Also, THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR THE COMMENTS, KUDOS AND BOOKMARKS!!! They really make me happy! As always, I am my own beta so if you see a mistake, grammar, spelling, plot, etc. leave me a comment and tell me! I will fix it soon as I can! If you're reading this for the first time and haven't read the first part, Heaven in a Bottle, Hell in Drowning Memory, you should go do that. This will make little to no sense otherwise in the long run. Well, that's enough from me. No, wait, I lied.   
> DISCLAIMER!!!   
> I OWN NOTHING!!! UNDERTALE BELONGS TO TOBY FOX, I OWN NOTHING, aside from the plot of this series and the OC's, I OWN NOTHING!!!   
> Okay, now on with the story!! I hope you enjoy it and that all is well!!
> 
> -RR

“Sans, please calm down.” G said, smiling a little at his younger friend’s obvious nerves, however unprecedented. Sans twitched at the light teasing tone in G’s voice, sinking  a little further into the couch as he muttered, 

“I don’t know, Gerard… I have no idea what I’m supposed to do with this! I mean, Grillbz hates large crowds and I really don’t want to push him to do something he doesn’t want to do… It may be a year and a couple months since…” Sans grunted and made a vague hand motion, “Everything happened. I mean, he’s just started to walk easily again.... I couldn’t ask him to do anything he’s not comfortable with, especially since we decided to take things slow and… yeah.” Sans finished lamely, a half hearted shrug punctuating his statement. 

“Sans, you’ve been taking it so slow, did you even get to a second or third date?!” Sans made a low sound in the back of his throat, pulling at his hood as he mumbled, 

“We-we didn’t get to have a first date yet either….” Gerard stared at his friend, silence stretching between them before G snickered then started to full out laugh, holding his sides as he fought to breathe, wheezing. Sans scowled and smacked G repeatedly on the shoulder but it only made G laugh harder, tears leaking from his good eye, his newly blinded eye still covered with an eyepatch, the corners of which were getting damp. 

“You’re not helping!” Sans snapped, punctuating each word with a smack to the shoulder. G just laughed all the harder, unable to properly breathe. He wiped tears from his eye, wincing as he touched the eye patch covered his bad eye and Sans stopped hitting the other man, worry etched into his face. 

“Are you okay? Do you need me to get ice? Or your pain meds? You just got the eye patch a few days ago, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have been hitting you-” G sighed and grabbed Sans, pinning him effectively and putting a hand over his mouth. 

“Okay, one, calm the fuck down. Two, I’m fine. My eye just kinda twinges, nothing to worry about. You need to take a deep breath and calm the fuck down, a’ight?” Sans nodded and Gerard leaned back, letting the other man up. Sans leaned into his side and G wrapped an arm around his small friend, shaking his head.

“Sans, I know you’re afraid, but trust me when I say that anything you do, Grillby will appreciate.” 

“G, I’ve been a stripper, dated like… Eight people and now my best friend. This is the first relationship I want to actually  _ work and I have no idea how. _ ” G sighed, his chest heaving in a world weary way that only those who had experienced the truth of the world could. 

“Sans. From a widow to a desperate friend, here’s some advice. Take it slow and steady, don’t rush him and don’t rush yourself. Take it easy, and talk to him. Communication, and I mean more than just a few words, is what makes a relationship stable. Trust me.” Sans huffed, a soft sound of air expelled from his nose. He didn’t believe the other man. G sighed and wrapped his other arm around Sans, dragging him into his lap to hug the smaller man. 

“Come here, little bones…” He murmured, resting his head on top of Sans’ and humming as Sans burrowed into his chest. 

“Did I ever tell you how I met Arial?” Sans shook his head and G snickered. 

“Well, Roman set me up on a blind date, not with Arial, but turns out the blind date was someone sent to kill me; Ro was pissed and so guilty I was worried he was going to strangle himself or someone else. Anyways, he drags me to the closest ER cause I’m bleeding out of my head and was more than a little loopy. Only, they were rather backed up that night, so Roman leaves me to sit down and try to contain the bleeding while he goes to tell someone that I may die if I don’t get medical attention. Course, we could have just gone home but home was a little too far away and we couldn’t reach it fast enough without me dying. So, I’m sitting down and this beautiful woman comes and sits down next to me, hiding her arms under a long sleeve shirt and holding a wad of tissues to her nose, which was bleeding profusely. We started talking, or really, I started telling her that I must have died and gone to heaven if there was an angel sitting right next to me. I got her talking just as her boyfriend stormed over and grabbed her wrist once more, snarling something about her being a useless bitch who couldn’t get away from him. I don’t quite remember. What I do remember, however, is standing overtop of him as I kneeled over him, pressing my weight into his chest. He ran out, scared for his life just as a pair of nurses came over. I told them my friend, Arial, had trouble with an abusive boyfriend and that was how I cracked my skull, trying to protect her. They put us in the same room for overnight stay.” G took a deep breath and chuckled.

“She asked me why I did that and I told her because I refused to see such a beautiful, intelligent woman suffer like that. I gave her my card and told her to call if she ever needed help. Well, that call came a lot sooner than I thought it would. About three days later, I got a frantic phone call and well… Roman and I drove over, dragged the bastard out of the room where Arial was hiding in the closet, locked herself in there pretty tight. I left Roman to deal with the asshole and got her to unlock the door, took her out to the car and made her unconscious. Then, Roman and I took care of business. Strung him up, wrote a letter. After that, we left. Arial found out pretty quickly we were in the mafia, of sorts, and well, you know the rest. She convinced me to leave, not that I needed much convincing, I was still watching after you and Papyrus. But, once you two left- and thanks for not telling me anything by the way, I nearly had a heart attack when I couldn’t find you anywhere-- Roman and I left with Arial. Gaster didn’t catch on until we were at the airport, flying to Maine. Only after two years that I heard he was in California did we move back. And, you know the rest.” Sans nodded and took a shaky breath. 

“What I’m sayin’, little bones, is that you cannot have a worse first date than me. If you do, I’ll find a trophy for ya.” Sans snorted and G smiled, smoothing the hairs at Sans’ nape a little, thumb rubbing circles against the soft bump of a slightly distended vertebra. 

“... You really think I can do this?” Sans mumbled and G nodded, tapping his knuckles against Sans’ head as he pressed his ear against his skull. 

“Hello? Jeez, anything in that head of yours, little bones? What did I just tell ya? Unless you set the house on fire or something, I doubt you could have a worse date than me. Seriously, I got ambushed, had my head slammed so bad I was bleeding from it and attacked the person who quickly became my girlfriend’s abusive boyfriend. Honestly, Sans.” G shook his head in mock resignation before hugging the small man tight.

“You’ll be fine, I promise. It will all work out, trust me. Grillby likes you, if he doesn’t already love you, you love him. Everything will be okay, I promise.” Sans took a few deep breaths and nodded, shaking his head and squeezing Gerard tightly around his ribs, face smooshed against his chest as he took a few deep breaths. The familiar smell of chocolate, leather, ink, paper, and something so purely G that Sans would never define it. 

“Take it a step at a time, little bones.” G murmured against his hair, barely heard above the purring of Kitty as the cat woke up from her sunbath on the back of the couch and wrapped herself around G’s shoulders, her coat soft and fluffy, tickling his neck and cheeks.

“I could cook something light… And something sweet maybe?” G hummed and Sans took another deep breath. 

“What do you two like to do that doesn’t require much movement or for you guys to leave the house for very long? As is, it’ll be late when Grillby gets back from setting up the restaurant with Gray, Aaron and Blooky so most places won’t be open. And I think you should avoid walking for long periods of time; he may be able to walk distances but he still has a limp and the spring weather will make the metal painful.” Sans suddenly reared back as G spoke, his eyes sparking with ideas, his light blue eye almost ice as a large smile pulled across his face. 

“G, you’re a genius! Thank you!” He wrapped his arms tight around the other man and squeezed, nearly choking him, before he ran out the door, leaving G and a dislodged Kitty to stare after the shorter man in mild confusion. Kitty meowed in annoyance before settling back across G’s shoulders as the man stared at the spot Sans had occupied not even five minutes ago before he sighed and smiled, stretching slowly so not to disrupt his cat once more.

“Come on, Kitty. Wanna go for a walk?” 

Sans ran from his friends home, across the street and into his own home, a wide smile coming across his face. He did know how to cook a few things here and there, nothing great like Grillby, but he could make a mean stew and even better hot dogs; plus, there was some cookie batter left from when Chara and Frisk visited and the pair wanted to bake cookies. It wouldn’t be a five star meal, or even a single star meal, but it would be home cooked and made with love. 

_-_-_

One hour later → Four Hours Until Grillby is home

_-_-_

“Hhhhheeeeeeyyyyy, Papyrus, my greatest most awesome, coolest bro! The best brother anyone could ever ask for, buddy, chum, pal, my awesome, rad cool dude brot-” 

‘ _ What happened? _ ’ Papyrus asked on the other end, tone weary and exasperated.

“Uh… Well.. I tried to make dinner for Grillby and I cause he’s gonna be exhausted from working on the resteraunt and well…” 

‘ _ Sans, tell me you didn’t burn down the house. _ ’ 

“I didn’t burn down the house! Or set the kitchen on fire… I just…. Kinda sorta… Burned the back wall by the stove… Trying to cook some meat for dinner… It… Didn’t work.” Sans eyed the pan that sat, still smoking, on the back porch, Callhaen giving it wide berth as the puppy came bounding over the door, large brown eyes begging to be let in. Sans opened the door and fed the puppy, sinking to the floor as Papyrus fell silent on the other end, eyeing the large scorch mark on the back wall. 

It ran up the backsplash, over the paint and all the way to the ceiling. He would have to paint that. The oven wasn’t going to work very well, either, as it kinda exploded, but the blast was contained and didn’t react too terribly. Sans may have added the wrong ingredient and cause the fire, and as it got hotter and hotter, the gas stove reacted badly, as did the gas oven, but Sans threw the pan into the stove, slammed the door and grabbed a fire extinguisher before putting out the blaze. Seconds later, however, there was a muffled ‘ _ pop _ ’ from the oven and smoke came out. Sans slowly opened it and when no flames greeted him, opened it all the way. What greeted him was a scorched oven that didn’t turn on and a blackened pan that was once stainless steel, a rock hard mass that had once been meat sitting, shriveled and hockey puck-esque in the center. The cookies, at very least, were unaffected, sitting on a cooling rack golden brown and soft.

‘ _ So, you managed to set part of the kitchen on fire? _ ’

“Er… Kinda?” He mumbled, sighing. Papyrus went quiet before there was some muffled noise, then out right laughter.

‘ _ NYHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE OH MY GOD, SANS!!! How the fuck did you manage that one?! _ ’ Papyrus demanded, still laughing. Sans could hear his younger brother wheezing for air on the other end and his cheeks went dark, his deep olive skin doing nothing to hide his blush. 

“Oh, shut up!” Sans snapped before he explained the story, which just made Papyrus laugh all the harder.

‘ _ I’ll talk to Muffet; she and I can come over and help you fix this mess before Grillby is home and kills you for destroying part of his kitchen. _ ’ Sans sighed and smiled. 

“Thanks, Bro.” 

‘ _ You’re welcome, Sans. Love you. _ ’

“Love you too, bro.” Sans hung up and leaned back, eyeing the wall like it had personally offended him, which it technically had. He sent a few photos of the damaged wall and surrounding area to Papyrus, but his brother refused to respond when Sans asked why his brother was asking for photos. Sans sighed and opened a game on his phone, Robot Unicorn- and played. He wasn’t sure how long he sat there, playing on his phone while Callhaen napped on his leg when his front door burst open and Papyrus and Muffet came bustling in, their arms laden with bags. 

“Alright, dearie. We’re going to fix this mess and- Oh my.” Muffet stopped in the doorway, her jaw dropping as she took in the damage before snapping out of it. 

“Well, I can definitely say I’ve seen worse attempts at cooking dinner than this.” she said with a small titter behind a slender hand, her dark skin flawless but her hands calloused, eyes calculative. Sans liked Muffet, for all that she gave off the feeling of a black widow sometimes; dangerous but graceful, and extremely intelligent. 

“Thanks.” Sans sighed, struggling to sit up only to find his butt and his legs had gone numb. Papyrus set his two armfuls of bags on the table and lifted his brother off the ground easily before depositing him in a seat at the island. 

“Okay, sit there.” He demanded and Sans nodded, fully ready to be lazy and let his younger brother and friend fix what he’d so royally fucked up. 

‘ _ Hehehe.. Maybe G should find me a trophy for the most fucked up first date attempt ever. _ ’ Sans thought bitterly, somber smile on his face.

“Oh, don’t look like that dear.” Muffet said, tapping his nose, making him scrunch it up in response. 

“Look like what?”

“Like you are about to fall off a cliff. I know it seems that the world is ending because you messed up and nearly burned down your kitchen, but it’s okay. Papyrus and I will help you sort it all out and leave before Grillby even gets here. Now, we have to strip that section of wall and paint it to match the rest of the wall if a simple wash doesn’t work- luckily, it seems your paint didn’t peel too badly. Papyrus, you get started on that, I’m going to start cleaning the stove top and oven. Even if the oven doesn’t work doesn’t mean we have to leave it dirty.” Muffet directed and Papyrus nodded, saluting and grabbing a series of tools to do as the short woman directed. Muffet pulled her dark curly, springy hair into a bun at the back of her head, shed her dark red jacket and rolled up her sleeves before grabbing a scrub brush and some cleaner.

Sans watched in fascination as the pair scrubbed, peeled and scraped until all the black mark was gone from the wall and the stove. Luckily, there were few places that had actually been burned and couldn’t be scrubbed away and those were all just above the backsplash, where Papyrus scrapped the paint away onto a tarp and shook outside in the grass. The stove top was saved and actually fixed in short order, and Muffet even managed to get the oven working again. The room smelled like paint and various cleaners, but a layer of febreeze coated it. Muffet took one look at the lump in the pan outside and took several deep breaths before shaking her head, picking it up and dropping it into the trash bag with the various rags, empty bottles and ruined scrub brushes.

“I’ll buy you a new one.” She said shortly before handing Sans a take out menu from the drawer.

“Try take out instead of cooking, eat a lot of cookies and tell your housemate that you almost burned down your house. But only after he’s been fed. Trust me.” Sans nodded and sighed, smiling. 

“Thank you guys, both of you, so much.” Muffet smiled and nodded, titterig softly. 

“Huhuhuhuhuhu. Because you were so desperate for help I won’t charge you, but you do owe me a favor.” Sans nodded and ran a hand through his hair, scratching at the back of his neck. 

“Okay, what’s the favor?” 

“You’re going to help me bake for my family. All. Weekend.” Sans gulped and nodded, shaking slightly at the intense glare from the woman. Muffet smiled, covering her mouth as she laughed, before she and Papyrus grabbed their bags, but not before Papyrus gave Sans a sweeping bear hug, and left. Sans sat back on the floor, looking at his spotless kitchen; it was like nothing ever happened. He sighed and ordered take out, already knowing what Grillby liked from the Italian place and tossing Callhaen’s puppy sized tennis ball for him when he came trotting over, paws still too big for his body.

“Sans, I’m home!” Grillby called, voice just brushing conversation level. 

“In the kitchen, Grillbz!” Sans called back, scooping Callhaen into his arms and leaning against the bar. He could only hope that Grillby didn’t notice the smell. His boyfriend looked a little haggard, dark circles under his eyes, glasses sliding down his nose and amber eyes bleary, paint stains at his fingertips and his shirt sleeves stained with what could be chalk paint. 

“Hey Sans-” he stopped, smile frozen on his face as he looked around the kitchen, amber eyes taking in everything at once and pinning Sans to where he stood, eyebrow raised. 

“What did you do?” Sans sighed and re-explained, again, what happened earlier. Grillby’s jaw slowly dropped until Sans chuckled nervously, holding Callhaen tighter and tighter until the puppy yipped in pain and Sans winced, loosening his hold and scratching the dog behind his ears. 

“Uh… Grillbz? Fire Demon? I know I’m rather jaw dropping but your face can freeze like that if uh… You know, you don’t move? Or speak? React? At all?” Sans said, voice getting softer and softer until Grillby started laughing, bending double as he tried to calm down, his voice growing louder and louder until he was laughing so loud Sans was speechless. Well, until he too started to laugh. He gently set Callhaen on the floor and the puppy stared at his masters like they’d lost their minds as Sans slowly joined Grillby on the floor, both of them laughing so hard tears started to leak from their eyes. 

Finally, they managed to calm down and Grillby stared at Sans as he laid on the floor next to him, a few giggles escaping here and there, eyes shut gently as tears rolled down his dark cheeks. Grillby smiled and rolled onto his side, pressing a sweet, gentle kiss to Sans’ lips and whispering, barely heard,

“I love you, lovely bones.” Sans’ face erupted into a violent blush and Grillby smiled, pressing another kiss to his boyfriend’s slightly chapped lips. 

“I love you too, fire demon.” Sans whispered back, like if he spoke any louder he would shatter the meaning behind the words. 

They only moved when the doorbell rang, Sans pushing Grillby to go shower and get changed while he grabbed the food. He set everything out on the island, plates, glasses, bags of food and fresh cookies, before he ran upstairs to go and get changed as well, changing from his jeans and plaid shirt to a pair of black sweats and a light blue shirt. Grillby stepped out just as he was pulling his shirt out of the drawer, the scot drying his hair. Sans blushed violently as the other man grabbed a pair of boxers and pajama pants and turned around just as Grillby let the towel around his waist fall.

“You’ve seen me naked before, Sans.” Grillby sounded amused, more than anything and Sans blushed to the roots of his hair, mumbling something before pulling on his shirt and dashing out of the room before Grillby could ask him what he said. 

Grillby shook his head and finished dressing, tugging his worn pajama pants up and forgoing a shirt as Sans liked to sleep cuddle and would keep him cool while Grillby kept him warm. The Scot went a little pink in the face at the thought, a dopey smile coming across his face. Sans was truly adorable; he was barely up to Grillby’s chest, the perfect height for Grillby himself to wrap his arms around the smaller man and hug close when he was having a bad day, and he didn’t have to bend down too far nor did Sans have to stretch up too much to reach his lips when they kissed. His eyes were mesmerizing and never failed to catch his attention, his laugh was adorable and his voice, deeper than average but not as deep as his own, was, without better description, gorgeous. He had abs underneath a slight layer of pudge, which Grillby adored and he was strong, fast and wicked smart and hilarious. Grillby sighed and smiled. He had his best friend as a boyfriend. The term was still funny on his tongue, even though Grillby had dated a few guys, knew for years he was bi, having dated Meria, been married to her, raising Fuku… It just made everything surreal. He shook his head and followed Sans downstairs. 

“Thank you for the food!” Grillby called to the next room when he made it to the kitchen and plated his food, pouring some lemonade for a drink. Sans was already sitting on the couch, munching on tortillini, ducking his face as he blushed violently. 

“Wanna tell me what you said in the bedroom? I didn’t hear you.” Grillby asked softly, a smile on his face but his eyes sparking with uncertainty. 

“I said… It’s kinda messed up to see someone naked when you haven’t even been on a first date…” Grillby stared and chuckled softly, making Sans blush deeper. 

“Well, then we’ve done some stuff backwards, huh?” He winked, pink in the face himself, and Sans laughed, shaking his head. 

“Yeah, guess you’re right. Though, you really do look pretty all flushed and blushing, even more so when you’re moaning.” He teased and Grillby sputtered, nearly choking on his drink. 

“ _ Sans! _ ” He snapped, trying for indignant and landing on embarrassed and laughing. Sans chuckled and snuggled close to the other man as Grillby grumbled under his breath but turned on the television to a space program that they both would enjoy. They snuggled on the couch, making small comments here and there about the program. Just before they went to sleep that night, Sans curled up tight in Grillby’s arms, Grillby pressed a kiss to Sans’ forehead and mumbled, half awake, 

“Wanted to say so earlier, but great first date.” 

“I love you, baby…” Sans mumbled that night, minty breath wafting up from his spot against Grillby’s chest. The scott went bright pink and smiled softly, kissing Sans’ forehead once more. 

“L-love you too, sweetheart…” And with that, they fell asleep, secure in the other’s arms. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wanna see a particular character or ship? Want to know how someone became who they are, or what their future looks like? No one is off limits so long as they were in Heaven in a Bottle, Hell in Drowning Memory! If you haven't read the first part of this series, which is Heaven in a Bottle, Hell in Drowning Memory, go and do that now! This part of the series contains spoilers and will probably make little to no sense. Hope you enjoyed the story, that all is well and that I see you in the next chapters!!
> 
> -RR


	6. Void and Tattoos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Papyrus has been feeling empty, Mettaton is worried and Roman's bedside manner is slightly more abrasive than Papyrus remembers. Becoming a living canvas is surprisingly soothing, however.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WELLWELLWELLWELLWELLWELL!!! I'm updating so quickly?! After just a short week's break from the previous update? It's all thanks to your bookmarks, kudos and wonderful comments that have inspired me to write this chapter, which was requested by joshslergun, who wanted to see some Papyton and Papyrus angst. joshlergun, I hope this chapter is everything you wanted; I didn't do as much Papyton as I wanted, but Mental's chapter will have some more, plus the rest of the pairings. We have spice and angst in this chapter, which brings me to my next point. TRIGGER WARNING: DEPRESSION, EMOTIONLESSNESS/INABILITY TO FEEL FOR PERIODS OF TIME, PAST CUTTING/SELF-HARM, MENTIONS OF POSSIBLE PAST SUICIDE ATTEMPTS, AND MENTIONS OF SERIOUS ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION. Please read the tags!!! I won't be putting a cliff notes at the end of the chapter but if you feel you need one, please leave a comment and tell me, I will do so as quickly as possible. Also, I am my own beta, so if you see any grammar, spelling, plot or mistakes in general, leave me a comment and tell me! I will fix it soon as I can!  
> Alright, enough from me! On with the story!  
> No, wait, I lied.   
> DISCLAIMER!!! I OWN NOTHING!!! UNDERTALE BELONGS TO TOBY FOX, I OWN NOTHING, aside from the oc's and the idea of this series of stories, I OWN NOTHING!!  
> Okay, now on with the story!  
> I hope you enjoy, that all is well and that you had an amazing New Years!
> 
> -RR

Papyrus yawned and stretched, listening to the pops and creaks in his bones as his joints cracked, letting out a sigh of relief as the stiffness went away. He hummed, looking down at the sleeping face of his boyfriend and smiled; Mettaton’s hair had gotten free of its bun, again, and was sprawled across his pillow, spreading from the back of his skull like a spill of ink across clean paper. He drooled slightly, cupid bow lips parted ever so slightly and a gentle smile curving them upwards. Even asleep, he managed to pose, it seemed; he laid on his side, the sheets falling over him languidly, accenting the smooth hourglass of his torso to his legs, one arm curled underneath the pillow, crunching it close to his chest as possible, the other had been draped over Papyrus’ shoulder before he moved it and let it lie on top of his own pillow. But, as he stared at the other man, he could only feel a slight push of emotion. He grimaced and sat up.

Papyrus sat on the edge of the bed for a moment. He didn’t do anything else but breathe, staring at his hands blankly, his usual smile missing, the joyful sparkle in his eyes vacant. He turned around so one knee was pressed into the foam mattress, the weight distributed evenly even as he leaned over so he could situate the covers back around Mettaton’s sleeping form, the dark bags under his eyes accentuated by his rich tan skin. Almost mechanically, Papyrus pressed a sweet, light kiss to his temple, lips lingering for a moment as he tried to chase the emotion behind the action. Nothing came. Slowly, he pulled away, looking for any disturbance in Mettaton’s sleep but all his boyfriend did was shift slightly and burrow into the pillow even further, sighing in sleepy content. Papyrus gave an upwards quirk of his lips before he got off the bed and made his way from their bedroom, down the hall towards the kitchen and living room.

Their apartment was large, but not expansive. Despite the large amount of money they both made, taxes included, and their rather large and loud personalities, neither man wanted to live in an actual house; maybe a cottage, one day, if they wanted to expand their family, or get married, or any other myriad of reasons. But for the moment, they were happy with their two bedrooms, semi-large kitchen, decent sized living room and two bathrooms. Their bedroom even had a balcony they could go and sit out on, watching the woods. The walls were painted a warm creamy-gold, which caught the light from the large bay windows in the living room and made it seem to glow. Papyrus didn’t even look at the pictures that hung on the wall; some of them photographs, a portrait or two, and a few paintings Roman had done and given to him and Mettaton. Papyrus paused in the living room, the short hallway opening the fairly large room. 

The couch was warm and comfy, big enough for four people, five or six if he counted his family, and had several warm blankets, courtesy of Muffet, that he could wrap himself in if he ever felt the need. The coffee table was organized in the way all coffee tables of well lived in spaces were organized; haphazardly and in a manner that only the home owner would understand. Books and a few magazines were stacked in strange patterns, and most of the books had at least a piece of scrap paper sticking out at one interval or another to mark they had been opened, just that the person reading them hadn’t found the time to continue. Papyrus took a deep breath and skirted the couch, despite it’s siren call, and went to the window, leaning over the well-padded ledge to he could unlatch the window and open it, letting in the fresh air he so desperately needed against his skin. The early dawn light greeted him, the light grey and pale pinks mixed with purple and a very faint orange eked out over the horizon, almost like the sun were just as unwilling to start the day as he were. 

“... I really need to spend less time with Roman if I’m waxing poetic about a sunrise…” He murmured, voice a few octaves lower than usual, rumbling through his chest like the distant pounding of waves. With a soft chuff, Papyrus went about his morning routine; starting a light breakfast, which consisted of an egg, this morning an omelet with cheese and some vegetables, and some cereal, then staring at his medicine, deliberating before finally swallowing the pills with water, shuddering as he could feel them slide down his throat. He put the two bottles back on their shelf and shut the cabinet door, hand pressing against it hard enough to make his skin turn a yellow-white from tension pulled skin over flat knuckles. He pulled away from the naive attempt at shutting the door, as if he pressed hard enough then his anti-depressants would just  _ vanish and he’d be fine. _ Shaking his head, Papyrus snorted, rolling his eyes at his own stupidity before setting the kettle on for tea and lounging on the bay window, absorbing the cool breeze as it caressed his face, the gentle warmth from the sun as it rose ever so slowly from the horizon line warming his skin. Papyrus stood and grabbed the water off the stove seconds before the whistle from the kettle blew, which would wake Mettaton. He continued his morning ritual, settling back on the bay window, watching the sunrise. 

It wasn’t until, two mugs of tea and hours later, that Papyrus moved from his spot. He was woken by the smell of breakfast food; eggs, bacon and sausage, and the sweet smell of peppers, potatoes, carrots, and cheese as they cooked together.

“Good morning, darling!” Mettaton called, his voice a little louder than conversation level, seemingly unsure if Papyrus were awake on his perch or not. 

“Good morning, Met.” He responded, words bland on his tongue. The sound of a spatula in a skillet slowed until it stopped entirely and soft footsteps came towards him until Mettaton rested on the wall, shoulder pressed into it, arms crossed loosely over his stomach, a gentle frown pulling his lips down, deep red eyes watching him carefully. Papyrus watched him back, from the corner of his eye, the way his too large t-shirt slid off one shoulder, his boxers reaching to his mid-thigh, the way his muscles flexed, body unconsciously working to keep itself balanced. He blinked.

“Papy, darling… Is it a bad day?” He asked gently and Papyrus finally pulled his gaze from the blinding sunshine and smiled wide, forcing a light into his eyes as he stood and wrapped Mettaton in a warm hug.

“Of course not, love! I was just a little out of it, I’m sorry if I seemed despondent! You know how I could get lost in my own head.” Mettaton hummed and pulled back just a little, even as he wrapped his arms loosely around Papyrus’ shoulders, eyes scanning him for any hint of a lie. 

“Alright… Well, it is the weekend. I have some shopping to do with Alphys today, after breakfast. Would you like to come along or-” Mettaton let the sentence trail when Papyrus shook his head and smiled once more, this time a little softer. 

“Nah, I know how much you two like your science-shopping time together! Even if it’s for clothes or car parts, I know you two will have a blast, and all your science talk goes over my head.” He nuzzled his boyfriend’s neck, pressing a sweet kiss here and there. 

“Papy, you know it doesn’t; you’re just as-” Mettaton tried but Papyrus cut him off with a quick, sweet kiss and pulled back, giggling. 

“I know, love. But you two need some time away from Undyne and I. If she’s not going to help Asriel move into his new apartment after the last one got… Murder-y, I’m sure she’d love to come and spend some time with me. It’s a best friend-away from the the lovers kinda day, you know?” Mettaton hummed, though he didn’t exactly look convinced, but let the topic drop. Papyrus pressed a sweet kiss to his lips once more, hugging his warm body close like he could somehow pull the heat and warmth into him through osmosis, maybe reheat his frozen core. Needless to say, it didn’t work.

Breakfast was, as always, a pleasant affair, the pair chattering about the possible plans they had for the day while they ate, Mettaton relaxing further and further as Papyrus laughed and smiled at the right times, throwing in an idea here, a question there, an answer elsewhere. It truly seemed nothing was wrong. As they dressed for the day, Papyrus settled on a slightly baggier shirt and sweatshirt, and his comfortable jeans and fuzzy soft socks while Mettaton wore leggings with intricately designed skulls on the legs, a pair of dark red-pink short-shorts that hugged the mid-thigh like sin, his shirt short sleeved, black with a pink skull wearing over ear headphones and his favorite of Papyrus’ hoodies; a dark red hoodie that trailed down to the mid-thigh. He brushed out his hair and let the floofy mop do as it wished; it never stayed the way he wanted without excessive amounts of hair product and he had no want to style his hair that morning. He pulled on his favorite red converse, the shoes he wore when he was going out on a shopping date with Alphys; heel’s were stylish and he could walk long distances and do all manner in them, but converse would comfortable. Papyrus watched, smiling, leaning against the doorframe in the living room, sunlight highlighting parts of his face and accenting shadows on his darker olive skin. 

“Are you going to spend the day inside, Papy?” Mettaton asked, only slightly teasing. Papyrus shrugged and yawned, smiling, a sleepy puppy-dog look coming across his face.

“Well, I didn’t get much sleep last night and the new meds James prescribed me have me feeling drowsy so, I guess I’m taking a note from Sans’ book and being a lazy bones.” 

“Papyrus Font, if you’re having as bad a day as I think you are-” Mettaton started, alarm making his voice rise in sharp worry. Papyrus rushed forward, wrapping Mettaton in a tight, warm hug. 

“I’m fine, Met. I promise. I’m just… Kinda off today, I promise. It’s okay. I promise. If it were  _ really  _ bad, I would tell you. You know that.” Mettaton held him just as tight, fingers digging into his sweatshirt and pressing into his muscles, shaking slightly. 

“... Are you lying, Papyrus?” He asked, barely heard in the muffle of his chest. Papyrus felt a twinge of something like regret and guilt in his heart but shook his head. 

“Don’t worry, it’s just an off day. Everything is fine, just go and have fun with Alphys! If you want, I can text you every two hours, send you pictures of my fantastic day spent being lazy, as even if it is a lazy day, it shall be very great indeed, for it is I, the Great Papyrus, being lazy!” He declared triumphantly. Mettaton giggled and smacked his chest lightly, glaring at him playfully. 

“You better text me. I really do want to know what the Great Papyrus,  _ my  _ Great Papyrus does when he manages to be lazy.” He hugged Papyrus tight once more, making his spine pop before letting him go with a kiss to the cheek then the lips, lingering and sweet as sugar. 

“I love you, Papy.” He murmured and Papyrus smiled, kissing him once more.

“I love you more, Met. Now go before Undyne commanders your shopping partner!” 

“She’ll have to fight me before she does!” Mettaton declared before finally leaving. Papyrus stood there, smile plastered across his face, for a few minutes until he was sure that Mettaton was well and truly gone. He slumped, shoulders curling inwards as his smile slid off his face and, had it been a physical, tangible thing, it would have shattered across the ground, like a priceless vase beyond fixing. He rubbed his hands up and down his face, trying to remember what emotion was supposed to feel like before he turned his back and picked up a book, relaxing into the sofa. He simply read, sending pictures to Mettaton, and finished a small pile of books he’d been wanting to finish; it took maybe five hours. He always had been a quick reader. 

Lunch was leftovers, heated up in a pan. They tasted like cardboard. Papyrus huffed and laid back on the couch, staring at the ceiling as he breathed in and out, simply staring. He had no thoughts, no emotion, nothing. It felt like he was someone wiped clean of something, though clearly it wasn’t sin or blood. He was soaked in it. He was red with it, drenched in viscous liquid. 

“Hmn… I hope these pills aren’t making me dive off a deep end…” He mumbled to himself before he pulled his phone from his hoodie pocket, opened a random contact and typed, 

**Me: Badgers.**

**Ro: I’ll be there in ten minutes. Don’t do anything stupid!!**

**Me: OK. door’s open**

Papyrus closed his eyes and let air rush in and out of his nose and mouth, his chest rising and falling, lifting his hands as they rested against the heavy bone. 

“Papyrus, what the fuck-” Roman’s voice was heavy with incredulity as he burst into the room, his green eyes sharp behind glasses, wearing casual clothes, surprisingly. Paint stained jeans and a thick grey sweater rolled up to his elbows, a thick leather bag that carried his art supplies - sketchbook(s), pens, pencils, sharpeners, erasers, a small camera, and his school laptop - a few papers or work done by students he kept in a separate folder that occasionally bulged, an external battery, a lock picking set for when he forgot his keys, a small wad of cash that was hidden within the liner, at very least three knives and possibly a gun, depending on where he was going to end his day and what he was doing, and some minor medical supplies; things like band-aids, salves for burns and antibacterial ointment, a brace that can be used to stabilize an ankle, wrist, elbow or knee in case of emergency, and several rolls of thick, white bandages and gauze. And duct tape. Roman always had duct tape. He closed his eyes once more, the shock value wearing off fairly quickly. 

“Papyrus… What’s wrong?” Papyrus opened his eyes to find the other man sitting beside him, sweater shed, a plain light grey shirt underneath, stained with paint at the hem, near his belt loops.

“Just… I know what I am. I know who I am. I understand that I am wrong, that I’m broken and lifeless… I just… I just wish some days, that I wasn’t. That I just  _ wasn’t here. That I was some idiot. _ ” A pause, then he continued, “I know what you’re about to say, Roman. But, I could never miss what I couldn’t understand. I couldn’t miss what I had no part in. I don’t want to be who I am, because there are parts of me that I want to stab until they are dust.” he rubbed at the indents between his ribs, where the bone protuded just slightly, the dip filled in with muscle and cartilage.

“Papyrus, show me your mark.” Roman’s voice was steady as a seasoned surgeon’s hands, but cold as liquid nitrogen. Papryus knew that if he didn’t comply, then Roman would call Sans and G and have them come over, then two of the three would hold him down while the third looked for any new marks, then gave him back his clothes and drove him to see the doctor. Papyrus, was after all, a stubborn creature and didn’t like to let his friend’s worry over him. It was easier to be happy when he was void.

“Are there any new ones?” Roman asked as he pulled his hoodie and shirt off in one smooth movement. He shook his head and let out a slight amused huff, not looking down at the ugly, faint lines that followed short spurts of his rib bones. Long turned white and faded, they marked a darker time in his life, the time where every mark was a day, a victim, another nameless face who he hurt. Roman ran gentle fingers over the marks, humming here and there before sighing in relief. 

“You didn’t start…” he stopped, voice choking. Papyrus looked over his shoulder, hoodie and shirt in a crumpled heap at his feet. 

“Cutting? No. I just look at them every day and see every fucking face I helped hurt, every person whose life I took, and I’m reminded over and over and  _ over  _ at how much blood I have on my hands, how much I bleed doesn’t matter. That for every mark I have on me, that there should be dozens more.” He gave a bitter smile and an empty laugh, a far cry from his usual bright, boisterous laughter. Roman sat, frozen in mild shock and no small amount of worry as Papyrus ran his hands through his hair, tugging slightly.

“Paps-”

“Don’t. Don’t give me that whole spiel about me not taking on guilt, about me not being anything less than a good person. I’m not. A. Good. Person. Roman. I’ve killed more than a handful of people, I orchestrated their deaths. I cut into them myself, broke their legs to keep them from running. I cried for people I didn’t know the name of, merely their face. I worried myself sick over the prospect of going back to the Core, of Gaster grooming me where he felt Sans failed. I’m Great at being broken, I’m Great at fucking over other people so I can survive. I’m Great at breaking, at shattering the whole and the broken. I’m Great at making dust of a name-” 

**Slap.**

The sound rang across the room duly, though it sent a faint ringing through Papyrus’ ears. 

“What was that for?” He asked, voice toneless but tilted in pseudo-curiosity. 

“To wake you up.” Roman growled, standing up and almost towering over Papyrus, green eyes boring into amber and dark brown. Roman’s calloused hands clenched Papyrus’ shoulders so tight they started to leave faint marks, light tan from sun exposure contrasted to the mocha tan of half Indian half white, made darker from exposure to sunlight. 

“Papyrus, listen to me. You think you have blood on your hands? You think you’re a terrible person? Well, we are. Every single one of us are. Me, Gerard, Sans, Grillby, Muffet, Undyne, Asriel, Asgore, you, Mettaton; we all have blood on our hands. We, and by that I mean us four, are born of it, raised in it, probably damned to die in it too. But that doesn’t mean we let who we were make who we are now. We kill those who need to die, either from mercy or because they just don’t deserve life. Gerard was Gaster’s right hand man; he killed more than even Sans. He became a novelist and a volunteer at a children’s hospital ward. Sans became an agent, a father despite his fear that he would turn out worse than Gaster. I became a professor, in  _ art. Art,  _ Papyrus.” Roman took a deep breath and grabbed the back of Papyrus’ neck with one hand, pressing their foreheads together as his voice lowered, a deadly edge entering, hidden beneath his calm. 

“You became a brilliant young man, one with more compassion, more humanity and love, more mercy and understanding than any other human being could ever or will ever claim to hold. We are all terrible people, but what you make of yourself makes you who you are. You are broken, you were remade. I refuse to let you fall once more, and I will be damned if you think that you are alone. You can’t feel? Fine. Canvas’ don’t feel either, so you’re going to lay your ass down on the floor and let me draw on you and then we’re going to go outside and do something, understand?” Papyrus couldn’t help it. He started to laugh, a genuine, belly aching laugh that made him double over. Roman would have been worried about it but he was still too pent up for worry to seep through. 

“R-Ro… Your bedside manner leaves a lot to be desired,” Papyrus tried to finish what he said but he was laughing too hard. Roman stared at Papyrus for a few moments before he snorted and sent a text to someone before he went towards the bedroom and came back a few moments later with a blanket, Papyrus’ laptop, and an armful of pillows, which he arranged on the floor in front of the coffee table as Papyrus took deep breaths to calm himself down. Roman directed him to lay down with a stern look and a gesture before he pulled up Critical Role and left Papyrus to get comfortable. 

“You’re using me as a canvas? What, did River challenge you to create new art forms again?” Papyrus asked as he propped his head up, folding the pillow in half and wrapping his arms around the front. Roman made a noise before coming back over and dropping his leavy art baf on the other side of the small nest he made on the floor.

“Something like that. I don’t remember if I was drunk or not. Not the point, I’m sober now and River won’t let me back out of whatever I agreed to.” 

“And what did you agree too?” 

“That I would draw on people, take pictures and if I could, get them to get what I drew tattooed. It’s actually been fun; a few of my students asked me to do it to them; Fran made me draw on her shoulder and Misha had me draw on his calf; they went straight to River afterwards.” 

“What are you gonna draw on me?” Papyrus asked, Roman’s weight settling comfortably on his lower back; Roman wasn’t heavy in the first place and Papyrus had been subject to his friend’s boredom and becoming his subsequent canvas numerous times in the past. He moved constantly as he drew. 

“Not sure yet. I’ve been drawing things that I think make up the person. For you, I think… I think it’ll be something to do with puzzles.” And so Papyrus laid there, soothed by the sound of Critical Role and the feeling of pens running up and down his back, pulling along his ribs. At a few points, Roman had him roll onto one side or the other, arms resting near his head as he could get them, and he could feel the tickle of pen there too. Finally, Roman stood and moved his pool of pens away so Papyrus could stand without tripping on one or stepping and breaking a couple. Roman grabbed his phone and said, 

“Arms up.” Papyrus did as directed, eyebrows rising, and Roman hit a button, then walked a circle around him. When Roman moved away, he pursed his lips, then nodded.

“Okay, come and see. You can kind of see on your ribs where it wraps around but the full effect is on your back.” Papyrus’ eyebrows rose further but he did as asked. Roman smiled and clicked play. Papyrus’ jaw dropped. 

There, on his back, in varying colors, was a beautiful, weaving peacock that had been made with the golden ratio. It went from the nape of his neck down his back, it’s tail fanning across his ribs. However, it wasn’t a simple peacock; it’s body was made to look like a tree, twisting and winding grains and it’s claws rested on a pile of flowers and bones, though they were barely noticeable. It’s tail wrapped around both side of his ribs but instead of regular plumage, it was a labyrinth, each section a slightly different color, subtle but all throughout, the occasional crow or raven feather hidden among the plumage, and each eye at the end of the feathers a meeting point with a small set of initials in each eye. Sans, Roman, River, Gerard, Grillby, Milo, Mettaton, Chara, Frisk, Muffet, Undyne, Gerson, Alphys, Toriel, Asgore, Liam, Lana, James, Crow, Ruby, Danny, Jade, Lala, and then his own were in each individual eye, a few blank here and there. Even with his dark skin, Roman found a way to make the colors pop out and look gorgeous instead of simple line work.

“W-what… Roman… This is… This is… Beautiful, oh my god…” Papyrus was struggling to form words, emotions, for the first time in quite a few days, maybe longer, rushing forth as Roman smiled, proud of his work. 

“I thought you’d like it. You can wash it off if you want; I just thought you’d like to remember that for everything in your life that you feel you’ve fucked up or that you’re a horrible person, that you’ve done twenty things that were good. You’re sturdy, like a tree, beautiful and intelligent, proud and strong like a raven, crow and peacock, and that you stand with life and death; you know the weight of what you do. Each set of initials is a person who loves you dearly, more than life itself.” Roman smiled and squeezed Papyrus’ shoulder. 

“Roman… Can we go and see River?” Roman blinked, then smiled, nodding.

“Sure.” Papyrus grabbed his wallet, phone and keys before helping Roman gather his supplied once more and then leading the way to the other man’s car after carefully locking his door. The drive to River’s tattoo parlor was quiet, but it was a comfortable silence. Roman watched out of the corner of his eye as Papyrus sat bolt upright like he was afraid to smudge the ink before they made it to River’s, straining slightly against his seatbelt like he were about to burst. When they arrived, River was sitting at the front desk, writing something into a large desk calendar. They looked up when the bell rang, braid falling to one shoulder as they did so.

“Sorry, we’re about to- Oh! Papyrus and Roman! Well, it seems I am in for a treat. What did Roman create? Follow me.” They stood, rubbing their hands together before simply guiding Papyrus and Roman to the back room. 

“Alright, what did he create?” River asked, their eyes bright with excitement.

“Well… This.” Papyrus unzipped his hoodie, taking it off and folding it neatly. River gasped softly and then came close, looking at all the lines Roman had created. 

“Well, this will certainly be a long one… But worth it in the end. Do you want to break it up into sessions or all at once?”

“All at once, please. You know I have a high pain tolerance.” River nodded and smiled to themselves before they began to prep. 

“Alright. Well, I’ll turn on some music for your enjoyment then.” They fiddled with their phone for a moment, then sound of smooth jazz filtered from a pair of speakers washed over the room. Roman pulled out a book and sat down in one of the extra chairs in the room as Papyrus laid down on the table and let the soft give of the material, low buzz of the machine starting up and the low sound of jazz relax him and he drifted off to sleep. River wasn’t kidding when they said it was going to take a while, but they only woke him a few times to reach a portion of his ribs or to have him get up and stretch, walk around and eat something. Papyrus felt a little sore from all the needle work but River was good at what they did and made sure that his breaks were long enough to give his muscles a rest and for they themselves to get a break in as well. 

“Papyrus… Papyrus, wake up.” River said gently as they rubbed something into his skin before wrapping it all with padded cloth and wrap. 

“Hmn… What?” 

“I finished. Thankfully there wasn’t much to do in the color department; shading and some fill in but nothing too extensive.”

“How does it look?” He asked as he slowly got off of the table. 

“Amazing, if I do say so myself. It took six hours, but worth it.”

“Six hours- What time is it?!” Papyrus demanded. 

“Well, it was about one when I came over, and I finished drawing at about three. We took thirty minutes to get here, and six hours to finish the tattoo? Uh, it’s nine-thirty, give or take.” Roman supplied, nodding as he looked at his phone. 

“Holy shit, Mettaton’s gonna kill me!” Papyrus said, scrambling to get his hoodie but Roman placated his worries.

“No, he won’t. I’ve been texting him this whole time; he wants a tattoo too, but he’s terrified of needles.” 

“Hmn, tattoos can help get rid of that fear.” River said, a sly smile coming across their face.

“How much do I-” 

“Nothing.” River interjected. 

“Nothing? River, that was a lot of work!” Papyrus protested.

“Yes, and I enjoyed it. So nothing. It would have cost anyone else several hundred dollars, at minimum but I know you, I love you as a brother, and I refuse to allow you to pay for something I see as a gift. Deal with it.” River crossed their arms and cocked their hip to the side, eyes flashing. Papyrus sighed and smiled, shaking his head.

“Alright, thank you, River.” They beamed and giggled at Papyrus’ smile, but a tender smile came across their face. 

“You’re welcome, Papy. Now, here are the instructions for showering with it and two tubs of cream. If you can, don’t go into work for at least two days; claim to be sick, or say that you’re sore, but don’t move while the tattoo scabs over. All that work isn’t healthy without a rest period. It should take about three weeks for it to start healing over everywhere, so keep an eye on it and if anything feels off or wrong, call me immediately, understand?” 

“Yes, River. Clear as crystal.” River smiled and nodded, stuffing the tubs of salve into his hoodie pockets and helping Papyrus pull on the hoodie while Roman filled Mettaton in on what happened. Papyrus noted how everything was immaculate and sterile as a hospital; nothing was out of place. 

‘ _ River must have cleaned while I was asleep. _ ’ He thought with a smile.

“Enjoy the tattoo, dearie!” River called as they started to lock up the shop as Roman and Papyrus left. 

“I’m glad that you like the art enough to keep on you forever.” Roman said, tone genuine. Papyrus smiled at his longtime friend and nodded, feeling, while not completely whole, not completely empty either. It was like a splash of emotion coated him for a little while, and he felt happy, not void. Now, it was fading away but the void wasn’t entirely numbing. He knew he would feel again, he always did. But right now, he would feel the lingering sting and burn of the tattoo and the elation of the beauty now imprinted on his skin.

“I’ve always loved your art, Roman.” was all Papyrus said before he yawned and shook his head, the yawn fluctuating in sound as his head moved side to side quickly.

“You sound like a dog.” Roman chuckled and Papyrus shrugged slightly, faintly amused. 

“Hmn.” Silence fell once more until they reached Papyrus’ apartment complex.

“Thank you for helping, Roman.” Papyrus said as his hand rested on the door handle. 

“Anytime, Papyrus. Anytime.” Roman said with a gentle smile. Papyrus nodded to his friend, made sure he had all of his things - salve for his tattoo, wallet, phone and keys - before leaving the car and making his way to his apartment. Mettaton was there in the living room, reading some of his own books. The nest that they’d left in the living room was gone, as was Papyrus’ computer. Mettaton looked up sleepily when he heard the door open and close, grinning when he saw his boyfriend. 

“Hey darling, how was it?”

“Long, and I slept for most of it, but ask Roman for a picture of his drawing and you can see it. I can’t take the gauze off until the day after tomorrow. For now, let’s go to bed. I’m beat.” Mettaton nodded and shuffled towards the bedroom, yawning hugely as his hips swayed side to side slightly as he walked. Papyrus stretched slowly, testing his range of motion before preparing for bed -- washing his face, brushing his teeth, and putting on his pajamas. He sat at his desk, however, hands itching to write in his journal. He wrote by the light of his desk lamp before Mettaton’s sleep heavy voice called, 

“Papy, come to bed. It’s late.” Papyrus set down his pen and turned off the light before flopping on the bed and gently cuddling his pillow and Mettaton.

_-_-_

_ Some stories may not be told, but I guess this one was, _ the diary entry reads, ink still drying on the pages.  _ In the end, it’s like a weight has been lifted. It’s not much off my chest, but it’s better. I have less to worry about, and while I will always worry over Sans, he has Grillby to worry over him too. Maybe, someday, I can feel all the time, instead of pushing emotion I remember to the front when I have a Void-period. It’s… Hard. But, the battle is worth it.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wanna see a character's future or past? Want to know what made a character or a pairing who they are? Well, leave me a comment with the suggestion, I love to hear from you guys! As long as the character was in Heaven in a Bottle, Hell in Drowning Memory, no one is off limits! If you haven't read Heaven in a Bottle, you should go and do that; not only does this series contain spoilers for the first part of the series but parts will make little to no sense without having read the first fic. So, go and read that first. But, seriously, any character, OC or from Undertale itself, any of the listed pairings, etc. No one is off limits. I hope you enjoyed!
> 
> -RR


	7. A Dog's Tail

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A dog's life through his eyes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy shit, I'm updating literal days in between things now. AND IT'S ALL THANKS TO YOUR KUDOS, BOOKMARKS AND KUDOS, THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!! Okay, so this is A REALLY WEIRDLY WRITTEN CHAPTER!!! Like, seriously, I wrote this in the span of an hour, maybe less, from the point of view of Callhaen. I'm trying out a new structure and it's REALLY fucking weirdly disjointed, as I said, because it is from the point of view of Callhaen, Sans and Grillby's dog. I may just delete it later, actually. It leaps from when he was a puppy to when he dies, about eleven or twelve years old, maybe a little older. So, I'm really sorry if there's any disjointed weirdness but I swear, after this chapter, it will go back to the main characters and there will be several chapters of fluff and cute and no angst, I promise!! I just had to get this last bit of angst out before I return to the fluff. As always, my work is unbeta'd and if you see a grammar, spelling or plot mistake, please do leave me a comment and tell me, I will fix it soon as possible!  
> Alright! That's enough from me, on with the story!  
> No, wait, I lied.  
> DISCLAIMER!! I OWN NOTHING, UNDERTALE BELONGS TO TOBY FOX, I OWN NOTHING, aside from OC's and the plot of the series, I OWN NOTHING!!  
> Okay, now on with the story! I hope you enjoy!!
> 
> -RR
> 
> **P.S Master is Grillby, Short Master is Sans, Grand Master is Liam, Sweet Master is Lana, Loud Puppy is Papyrus, Louder Puppy is Undyne, Shy Puppy is Alphys, Sweet Puppy is Muffet, Strange Puppy is Mettaton, Sweet Puppy is Muffet, Flower Puppy is Chara, Warm Puppy is Frisk, Nuzzling Puppies are Asgore and Toriel, Scared Puppy is G, Messy Puppy is Roman, and Whimper Puppy is Asriel, New Puppy is Milo, Tall Puppy, later on, is Rue and Happy Puppy is Benny and Not-Master is Grillby's father**

When I was young, I was small. Maybe too small, but Mama never pushed me away from her teat to get milk. The others would push me around, yes, and played too hard sometimes but it didn’t matter. I was one of the first to be adopted! Mama’s tail wagged and she gave me a look as she licked me good-bye from the dog bed she rested on, Big Mama’s voice talking to an Unknown in the big room nearby, that I was to be a Good Boy. I yipped and she smiled, nudging me towards a male with a dark-light, furless body but a lot of mopy fur on his head, near his ears. He smiled and held out his fingers; they were cool, like the Big Room floor, but gave underneath my nose and tongue when I liked them. They tasted like… Not milk, but cold and smelled like something I had never smelled. All I knew was Mama’s smell, which was milk and safety, and the smells of Big Mama’s den, which were bright and sunny, like the patches I laid in when I wanted to sleep and not be near my brothers or sisters. 

“You’re so adorable, I’m sure Grillby will love you.” The Unknown said, voice soft and gentle, but kind of rumbled too, like that sound Big Mama called Thunder a few nights back. I was afraid to leave Mama but she said to be a good boy so a good boy I would be. I didn’t have to be afraid.

Master and Short Master, I learned fast, were sweet and gentle, and Master taught me many new tricks very quickly. I met Loud Puppy, who was Short Master’s brother, and I met Louder Puppy, and Shy Puppy, who were female but were very sweet. Louder Puppy smelled like salt and water, while Shy Puppy smelled like heat and something bitter, tangy I think the word was what Short Master said when he ate some meat from a big grey bowl on the stove. Master let me eat some too but it was Hot. Master scratched my ears and said, softly,

“Sorry, sorry, Cal.” I licked his fingers anyways.

When Master and Short Master showed me the Small Puppies, two little ones who smelled of flowers and grass, like warmth and milk, I felt something surge in my heart; it was so big and great that I had to let out a yip and run over to them, falling on my face and hearing her coo before scooping me up. I liked her face, then the other’s face. They looked the same, if aside from the eyes. I promised myself then that I would protect. I must protect!

As I grew, and CB joined me in protecting Master, Short Master, Grand Master and Sweet Master, Loud Puppy, Louder Puppy, Shy Puppy, Sweet Puppy, Flower Puppy, Warm Puppy, Strange Puppy, Scared Puppy, who was Kitty’s kind of stupid but sweet kitten -he could hunt, it seems, and fight, but she always had to sit on his shoulders and make sure he didn’t fall over and puke out his lungs- but I knew him as Scared Puppy, and Kitty’s other kitten, who was just Messy Puppy - because he always had something strange smelling on him but we loved him all the same, even if he wouldn’t let Kitty bathe him and make him clean - and Nuzzling Puppies; I think they were mates, so I grouped them together, and there was also Whimper Puppy, who cried when he saw me first, only for Louder Puppy to tease him, so I growled at her and licked away his tears.

“Wow, Asriel, I didn’t think you’d cry from a puppy-”

“Shut up! He just… Reminds me of my own dog, when I was kid,” I licked up his tears even more.

Sometimes, Master and Short Master would cry, and CB and I would whine and whimper, trying to be good dogs as we pressed close as possible, like our Mama’s would when we were scared of thunder or of the loud things outside. But Master and Short Master were afraid of the dark, of things in their heads. We would run upstairs and wait outside their room until they woke up and lick until their furless faces were dry and salt free, and then we’d sleep at the foot of their beds. I always worried that Master would fall through the ice again and leave me and Short Master behind, even as he tried to pull himself up and slid back in, asleep on the ice. I felt like a bad dog, even though Scared Puppy and Loud Puppy said I was a good dog. I was so confused…

When Flower Puppy hurt herself, I felt like a bad dog; I didn’t protect her! I should have! I could have- But I did nothing. I smelled a bad smell, a very bad smell, blood. Master cut himself once and told CB and me and if we smelled that, if we smelled that funny, bad smell, we were to run and find them, and if we couldn’t find them, to get Scared Puppy. Master called him G, but I just saw Kitty wrapped around her kitten’s shoulders, staring at him sternly, telling him not to push himself. He would anyways; it was the nature of stupid kittens, but he had Kitty to help him when he was dumb. But I smelled a lot of that bad smell, and I ran upstairs, barking and barking and barking because all I could smell was that bad smell. And there was Flower Puppy, sharp against their - I heard Master and all the puppies call Flower Puppy and Warm Puppy they, so ‘they’ they were - arm, staring at the darkdarkdark red on their furless skin. I knocked the sharp out of their hand as Warm Puppy, Master and Short Master came running after me, CB hearing my alarm. Then there were tears, a lot of tears, and Flower Puppy went away and came back, still sad but better than before. I felt like a bad dog… But Master, Short Master, Grand Master, Sweet Master, and all the puppies, and CB, called me a good dog! It’s confusing.

I think I am a good dog… I try to be a good dog. Master says I am, and Short Master scratches my ears and gives me treats and good food. I always want to protect Master and Short Master, and the Puppies and the tall, strange Puppies. They are all Pack to Master and Short Master, so I must protect! I must protect! Especially the small, weak New Puppy we have in our pack, and his own dog, named Mouse. Mouse was small and cute, and listened to me and CB well and Master and Short Master as well. I was strong! I was big! I heard Master and Short Master say it all the time, about how much of a good, strong, big dog I was, how I was a good dog when CB and I stopped those Bad Unknowns from hurting Master and Short Master, when we helped New Puppy feel better and I didn’t growl when he leaned a little too much on me. But he was a puppy, and puppies are meant to grow. So, I watched New Puppy grow, and Mouse grew big as me, then bigger than me. And I made sure he watched after New Puppy and CB when my legs got a little too stiff, like I was made of ice and snow, to run and play.

New Puppy made friends, when he was older, and brought them over a lot; Happy Puppy and Tall Puppy. They were Pack of New Puppy, and I liked them both well enough. I would be a good dog and make sure Master and Short Master liked them too. I liked Happy Puppy, because even when he was loud, he was sweet and brought dog treats with him. Tall Puppy smelled sad, like Flower Puppy did sometimes, and he would rub my ears when he came over as New Puppy and Happy Puppy played or New Puppy did homework. Tall Puppy was calm and quiet, but I could tell he cared a lot about New Puppy. I decided I liked him. I would stick around and make sure he and New Puppy and Happy Puppy were taken care of, age wasn’t important.

Only… One day, I was playing with the New Puppy and Mouse when Mouse started to bark at something loud and fast, that smelled bad and didn’t slow down. New Puppy was walking with Scared Puppy, across the street, Arial resting across his shoulders. I dashed forward and pushed New Puppy out of the way, and he fell. Something hit me. Things went black. I woke up to tears in my fur and strange sounds all around me, breathing was hard, my sides hurt and my legs were cold, like I had snow and ice shoved up my pads. I tried to lift my head, only for that cold ice to slither down my spine and though I tried to be brave, I let out a pathetic cry. I whimpered, Master and Short Master would be so upset with me for being weak, for not protecting New Puppy or the Scared Puppy like I had been tasked. They would surely hate me-

“Call… Oh, my god, Callhaen… You sweet, sweet, perfect fucking good boy.” Master? He was sad? Why was he sad? He shouldn’t be sad, he should be mad at me! I whimpered and lifted my head once more, ignoring the pain that came this time to lick his face. His cheeks tasted like sea water, the time they took me and CB and New Puppy and Mouse to the ocean. His skin was hot, like the sand had been under my paws. I whined, wagging my tail, just a little bit.

“Callhaen, Callhaen, oh my sweet, perfect, beautiful Callhaen…” Master was saying, tears flowing faster and faster. I whined even as his hands came slowly around me head, cradling me close. I could feel his pounding heart, so close to my ears, the echoes of each beat followed by the next pulse, the smell of something sharp and bitter, sweet, like fresh flowers after a rainstorm, something like mud and stones we would find at the riverbed, and a deep, earthy smell, the kind I would get when I shoved my muzzle deep into his flower garden and breathed deep. Like I could smell the Life of the ground. It was Home. I licked what I could of his skin, painful as it was, trying to apologize for my failure. But, Master didn’t stop crying, didn’t stop calling me his good, brave boy.

Was I a… Was I a good dog? I so wanted to be a good dog…

I felt something in my chest heave, and it felt worse with each breath, the rise and fall of my sides growing worse and worse and worse. I could hear someone else there and then cold hands, like they were made of snow, were on my other side and I could hear Short Master, his voice choked in tears too,

“Oh my god, Call… Callhaen, you sweetheart… Oh my god… You brave, proud, beautiful, good dog… Oh my god, Call…”

“Mr. O’Cain, he’s dying… It would be easier-”

“NO!” Master snapped, his voice rising in sharp anger like a smack across the nose but it wasn’t at me, it was at the soft voice, the Unknown’s voice. I didn’t have the strength in me to growl a warning to upsetting Master, all my breath was locked in my chest. I could feel Short Master burrowing his head in my neck, rubbing my belly softly, like when I had to get nasty holes and strings in my belly and he was afraid of hurting me. But, strangely, nothing hurt. I whined and licked Master and Short Master, breathing in the smell of the woods, of acidic and bitter things, of things too sweet, of flowers after rain, the deep, earthy smell of the ground in Master’s garden, of snow and trees, the tangy bite of something hot, and the sweet smell of a bright summer day. I whimpered and wagged my tail as Master and Short Master and, faintly, I heard, New Puppy and Scared Puppy,

“Good boy, Callhaen. You’re such a good boy.” Master was speaking softly, like I was going to sleep. I felt like I was, though maybe it could be easier to breathe.

“Oh my god, Call… You brave, beautiful, amazing good boy… I love you Callhaen…”

“Cal.. Please.. Please… Come on, good boy, please-” New Puppy cut himself off with tears and Scared Puppy gave a hoarse call of,

“Good bye, you good dog.”

Was I a good dog, to the end? Master scratched my ears softly as cold started to over take my body, like I flopped down in a snow poff.

“Good dog.” I wagged my tail once, twice and licked his hand as tears soaked my fur. I closed my eyes and let the dark take me where it wanted, the phrase, _Good dog, Callhaen_ echoing.

When I woke up, I was warm, not cold. I looked around and noticed Kitty sunbathing on my back and Grand Master, Master’s Grandsire, sitting nearby me, leaning against a tree and a man who looked like Master but didn’t smell like Master walking over.

“Oh, it seems we have a new friend! Welcome! Come along, we have a river to play by and some fetch to play!” Not-Master said a large, open smile on his face. Grand Master chuckled and sprang to his feet, Kitty leaping to his shoulders in a way I hadn’t seen her do in years. I wagged my tail and parts that had hurt and ached, parts that burned and froze no longer did so. I ran after Not-Master and Grand Master, tongue lolling out and barking happily in the sunshine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wanna see a ship or a character? Want to know how that character became who they are in the present? Or what their future looks like? Do you just have an idea for a scene you really want to see between a character and someone else? Or something that makes them up? No characters or ships in Heaven in a Bottle, Hell in Drowning Memory are out! All characters and ships, so long as they were in the first part of this series, are off limits! That being said, if you haven't read it yet, go and read Heaven in a Bottle, Hell in Drowning Memory; this part of the series will not only contain spoilers but also make next to no sense otherwise. I hope all is well and that you enjoyed reading!!
> 
> -RR


	8. Carnival Rides and Cotton Candy Days

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Never, EVER, let Aunt Undyne, Uncle Papyrus, Uncle Sans and Fire Uncle compete for prizes. There may be casualties and Uncle G will be no help, as he is too busy laughing so hard that his sides become bruised when he falls to the ground. No one else is really any help either, but that's family. Dad was worried about Uncle G but then Frisk, Milo and I wanted to see who could win more prizes for our new friend and Dad got into it... And it went downhill from there, as Mom wasn't there to be sure no one killed someone else. Actually, I think she was watching with Uncle Tonton and Auntie Muffet and Ms. Jen, but I think they were all laughing... But it was a good day, none the less.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I LIVE!!! I AM SO SORRY THAT I HAVE BEEN DEAD FOR SO LONG BUT NOW I LIVE!!!! ALSO THANK YOU FOR ALL THE KUDOS, BOOKMARKS, COMMENTS AND READERS OUT THERE WHO'VE ENJOYED THIS SHORT THING IN MY ABSENCE!! I SWEAR I WILL BE MORE REGULAR!! That aside, I am very sorry about not writing this sooner and taking so long. This is actually MentalWeirdo356's request, which is the most adorable thing on the planet and after the month I've had, I think some fluff and family fun is in order. There is a little bit of violence from a background character that is quickly dealt with, because I cannot resist spice but aside from that and some slight suggestive themes at the beginning of the chapter, which are Sans and Grillby verbally teasing each other, there is no reason to worry. If, however, you feel uncomfortable, leave me a comment and I will mark it so you can skip it if you want. As always, I am my own beta, so please tell me if you see any spelling, grammar, or plot mistakes by leaving me a comment and I will be sure to edit it as quickly as humanly possible. For those of who wanted a Dadster fic, I will be posting a new one soon known as We Get Along Like A House On Fire. That will be posted... Soonish. Class and work needs to be balanced first. I can do this but it makes my already erratic posting schedule even worse, so wish me luck!! As always, if you wanna see a specific character, a backstory, or pairing, or more of the Pacifist or Genocide endings, leave me a comment! I love hearing from you guys! Also, if you haven't read the first part of this series, you should go do that. It makes no sense otherwise.  
> Alright, enough from me. On with the story!  
> No, wait, I lied.  
> DISCLAIMER!!!! I OWN NOTHING!!! UNDERTALE BELONGS TO TOBY FOX! I OWN NOTHING, aside from the plot of this fic series and original characters, I OWN NOTHING!!!  
> Alright, now on with the story!  
> I hope you enjoy and that all is well!
> 
> -RR

The air was filled with laughter, the sound of chains swinging and chairs creaking, metal rolling at high speeds against metal. The smell of cotton candy, sweat, popcorn, caramels, chocolate, cooking meats, fried dough, french fries, and slightly burnt ozone. Sans smiled, leaning further into Grillby, his upper body draped in his husband’s arms, Grillby holding him tight as he possibly could against his chest. The ferris wheel was slowly edging to the top, the open basket, even though it had a “roof” rocking gently in the wind as it climbed.

“This was a really good idea.” Sans mumbled sleepily, turning his head from the harsh light of the noonday sun to burrow further into that broad, well muscled chest he loved so much. As it was, Grillby was wearing practically nothing, at least compared to his normal state of dress. His shirt was short sleeved and was mostly fitted, though he refused to wear shorts, -- still, Sans noted sadly, self conscious about the scars the ran up and down his legs -- he did wear a pair of thin jeans and Sans even managed to hide all his other shoes in time to get him to wear a pair of leather flip flops. Sans himself wore black shorts and light blue shirt, though not even Grillby could get him to ditch a black hoodie. His argument had been that one never knew when they needed a hoodie. Milo had rolled his eyes at his father’s playful argument and tugged on their hands to get them to start moving.

“Lovely bones? You there?” Grillby’s voice rumbled against his ear, felt more than heard. Sans hummed noncommittally and he felt Grillby huff, a hot breath of air against his ear surprised him, though the sweet kiss didn’t.

“This really was a good idea, lovely bones. I’m sure everyone else is enjoying themselves as well.” He murmured into his ear, lips barely brushing the shell and sending electric shocks up and down his spine.

“I just said that,” Sans complained playfully, opening one eye to stare into Grillby’s, fighting to keep a smile off his face. “You can’t say what I just said.”

“Oh I can’t, can I?” Grillby hummed before he suddenly and smoothly pulled Sans upright so he was straddling his hips, Grillby’s forearms wrapped tight around his waist, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, amber eyes pools of mischief and affection.

“What If I steal them from you?” He asked before leaning down and kissing Sans soundly. He didn’t have to do much; Sans moaned lowly in the back of his throat as Grillby’s tongue teased, begging for Sans to kiss back, which he did gladly. Wrapping his arms around his husband just as the ride came to a pause at the top of the wheel’s axis, Sans smirked; Grillby may be bigger than him, but his husband forgot on occasion how good Sans was at making him fall apart underneath his touch, who taught Grillby what felt good, and let him take the reigns when he got good enough and Sans became addicted to his touch.

‘ _I could be evil,_ ’ he thought, that knife shape smirk curling his lips as he pressed his hands into the sensitive parts of Grillby’s neck and back, trailing cold touches up and down jumping muscles as he ground his hips down once, twice, pinning Grillby easily when he tried to buck back. ‘ _Or, I could be sweet._ ’ He eased up on the teasing, slowing his pace, pulling back more often for air, pressing sweet, chaste kisses to Grillby’s neck and face, the man’s lightly sun bronzed skin flushing red straight to his collar bones as his chest heaved.

“That,” he growled, voice dipping as he glared teasingly at his husband, “Was mean.” His brogue was thicker than usual from his slight arousal. Sans chuckled, a sound that sent a shiver of delight down Grillby’s back.

“Oh no, no baby! _Mean_ is teasing you until we get home, but I won’t be mean. I’ll stop for right now.” Sans chuckled again and shook his head and Grillby eyed his husband wearily. “Oh no, no, no baby. I’m _evil._ As soon as we get home, because Milo is spending the night with Frisk and Chara tonight, I’m going to tease you until you can’t take it and you _beg me_ to let you drop. And, maybe I will. And, maybe I won’t.” He pressed a sweet, teasing kiss just under Grillby’s ear, nipping slightly just as the ride started to descend. “Or, maybe, I’ll show you how addictive you are and how much I love each and every part of you, how much I love your strength, your will, your body, your mind and the sounds you make by drawing it out as much as I possibly can until we both can’t take it.”

“Y-you’re i-incorrigible!” Grillby panted, voice pitching an octave as Sans sucked a quick hickey under Grillby’s ear, pressing a gentle kiss just before climbing off his lap and laying back down.

“Down boy,” he teased and Grillby huffed, embarrassed, pressed himself far against the small basket as he could get, one hand holding his chin while the other wrapped around Sans’ waist, clutching the smooth planes of muscle, the slight layer of chub pressing back into his hand as he found a comfortable way to hold his smaller husband one armed. Sans chuckled once more and fell into a light doze as Grillby forced himself to think about the most disgusting things he could to will away the half mast erection in his pants. The cold press of tiles, the harsh laughter, the feeling of losing Sans zapped it away in a blink but he slammed the lid on those memories before they could rush back. He was fine. He had been for four years and he wasn’t going to let some memories, no matter how terrible they were, ruin it for him.

When their basket touched the ground again, Sans was awake and looking at him with concern and tugged him towards the food vendors, one hand clutching him, the other typing a message on his phone to the group chat.

“You okay Grillbz? If I pushed too far you need to tell me.” He said softly, turning to look at his husband. Grillby nodded and hugged Sans tight, sighing.

“Just… Bad memories. But I’m not about to let anything ruin our day,” his brogue grew thick as cold honey oozing from a jar, “Or our night. You made a promise and that is one promise I want to see you follow through on.” It was Sans’ turn to blush but he smiled and kissed Grillby, really rather a chaste brush of lips, lingering for a rather long period of time, pulling apart only to be drawn back to the other once more. 

“Ohohoho, gross! Dad! Baba! Stop being all gross!” Milo cried, laughing from Papyrus’ shoulders as the taller man came over, a large smile on his face. He wore long shorts and a white short sleeve shirt, crimson scarf present as always, his thick black hair being mussed by Milo as the rambunctious nine-year-old threaded one hand through it, the other clutching a stick with cotton candy.

“Awww, come on baby bones! Can’t Baba and Dad have a nice moment?” Sans asked teasingly, hands on his hips while the nine-year-old rolled his eye and laughed. Sans smiled, relieved. Milo had been having trouble at school, trying to fit in with kids -- if it wasn’t his intelligence, it was his skin, if it wasn’t his skin, it was his athletic ability, if it wasn’t that, it was his eyepatch and his thick white scar, or that he had two dads. Some children were kind and had even befriended the small boy, but there wasn’t much to be done. He was glad summer had started and that he could spend more time with Milo, and that morning, when they showed up at their front door to wait for everyone else, G and Undyne had forgone their eyepatches. Granted, G usually did, but he didn’t bother to add some of the concealer he occasionally wore to hide some of the thicker parts of the scar. Seeing Undyne without her eyepatch had been interesting, though everyone else knew not to react to it, lest they unnerve the, surprisingly self conscious, woman. The thick scar tissue that made up her eye was there for all to see, the long faded white scars from the knife that had taken out her eye were gruesome but no one was unaccustomed to seeing scars.

Milo had been in shock and awe and after Undyne proudly declaring at she and Gerard would go without their eyepatches and concealments because the scars they wore showed they were strong enough to survive no matter what, Milo hurried to his room, took off his eyepatch and ran back down, showing off his eye for the first time to the rest of the family. Papyrus swung the nervous boy into his arms and showered his nose, cheeks and both eyes in kisses before Mettaton stole him to do the same.

“You look so cool!” He declared proudly as Chara and Frisk nodded, smiling at their smaller cousin before they tugged him to the ground and sandwiched him between them, hugging him so tight Sans was sure he heard a few vertebra pop.

“And then Uncle Tonton said he was hungry, so Auntie Tori, Uncle Asgore, Uncle G, and Auntie Alphys went to get food for everyone while Asriel, Frisk, Chara, Uncle Ro and Auntie Muffet went get a table.” Milo was saying, waving his cotton candy for emphasis as Grillby and Papyrus listened in rapt attention, Sans coming back to the present moment in time to catch the tail end of the conversation.

“Sounds like fun, buddy. Do you know where they went?” Milo paused for a moment to think then nodded while Papyrus winked and gave a subtle thumbs up.

“Where shall we go, Milo?” Papyrus called out loudly and child paused, looking around before pointing his cotton candy like a sword and yelling,

“Onwards! To the fried dough stand!” before he took a large bite of the candy floss, a large smile across his face and with a loud, “NYEHEHEHE!!!” from Papyrus, the pair turned and jogged away, leaving Sans and Grillby to follow or else risk losing them.

“Tori say’s they’re over by the slightly quieter area, near the trees.” Grillby said, looking at his phone. 

“Wanna beat Paps and baby bones?” Sans asked with a devious smirk and Grillby laughed.

“I know we’d beat them there anyways, but let’s go. I’m sure you’ll find some way to explain how we beat them, the last couple have been entertaining to say the least.”

“Hey, you’re my husband! Help a lazy bones out on occasion!" 

“Well, I am a man of few words, as everytime I look at you, you leave me speechless.” And with a gentle peck on his husband’s quickly blushing cheek, Grillby turned on his heel and walked away, smiling quietly to himself as he chuckled. Sans buried his head in his hoodie but managed to catch up, mumbling under his breath about “Stupid smooth scotts,” and “I’ll fucking leave _you_ speechless…” as Grillby slipped his hand into Sans’, fingers curling tight. Dodging around the more crowded areas and most the food vendors, Sans eventually recovered enough nerve to look at Grillby and stick his tongue out at him, rather childishly and Grillby only laughed, tugging his smaller husband close and hugging him from the side.

“Aww, come on lovely bones! Don’t be like that!” 

“Just wait, Grillbz. Just you wait.” Grillby felt something like anticipation and trepidation slide down his spine and he shivered. Sans rarely took on that tone, the tone that said _I am going to fuck you over in more ways than one_ when he was with him, and when it _was_ directed at him, well… Grillby hadn’t been able to walk straight for a week and a half afterwards, more so from the fact that Sans pressed every. Single. One of his weak spots _constantly_ and left dark bite marks on each of his most sensitive patches of skin that left even the slightest amount of pressure painfully pleasurable. Grillby shuddered and Sans smirked back, squeezing his waist and pressing a soft kiss to his ribs. He snorted; even through clothes he was ticklish.

 They managed to reach the group before Papyrus and Milo, Sans flopping down on the large blanket Toriel brought with an exaggerated sigh before curling up into Grillby’s lap as he sat next to him. 

“Ah, there you are dears! Have you seen Papyrus and Milo-” Toriel began, only for a loud, excited voice to call, 

“Awww! Uncle Papaya, Dad and Baba beat us!! No fair! How’d you do that?!” Sans laughed and sat up, wriggling his eyebrows at his son, a smile crawling across his face.

“Magic, baby bones! Absolute magic.” Milo pouted and Grillby chuckled as G rolled his eyes, Roman laughing softly behind his hand. Asriel let out a large ‘ _OUOFF!!_ ’ as Chara and Frisk flopped on top of him, driving the breath from him as the now slightly taller teens giggled to themselves. Mettaton lounged under the tree, red eyes hazy with sleep from an afternoon nap, a smile crossing his face and making his eyes spark with life as sleep was blinked away. Asgore and Muffet laughed while Undyne leapt to her feet, Alphys engrossed in the novel she brought, sparing a quick glance upwards, a flash of a smile before she returned to her book, biting her lip to contain a squeal as she continued to read, River reading over her shoulder.

“Come punks! I’m tired of waiting and eating! We came here to have some fun, so let’s have fun! Who wants to go win some carnival games?!” She roared, single eye flashing. G looked up lazily, munching on part of a funnel cake, powdered sugar coating his lips and fingers, which he licked away decisively.

“Well Undyne, it isn’t my fault you wanted to wait so long to eat; I did tell you to eat something but you didn’t listen.” he punctuated the sentence by popping the last knot he’d been working through into his mouth and smiling smugly as he wiped his mouth and hands clean with a napkin River gave him. Undyne rolled her eye and growled,

“That isn’t what I meant, punk and you know it!” 

“Well, if you want me to beat the crap out of you at a game, all you had to do was ask. I’m sure Alphys wouldn’t mind stepping up to the plate in your stead if _that isn’t what you meant_.” Gerard laughed and rolled out of the way as Undyne launched herself at the older man, leaping to his feet as Undyne gave chase around the tree. Roman chuckled and turned to Sans, about to ask a question, then paused. He held up a hand to his forehead or started to before promptly falling to his side, eyes rolling up into his head.

“Roman?” Sans and Grillby asked in stereo, sitting up, worry palpable as the others noticed his distress. 

“Uncle Ro? Are you okay? Uncle Ro!” Frisk asked, freeing themselves from Asriel and Chara’s arms and crossing the few short feet to their uncle, shaking the taller man’s shoulder. Roman gave a low groan as he stirred and G went from ‘ _smug bastard_ ’ to ‘ _overprotective older brother_ ’ in a heartbeat.

“Roman? Ro, oh my god, did you pass out? Are you okay? Did you hit your head? Do you need some water? Come on, sit up. Undyne, Toriel, can you guys help me get him up and into the shade? And some water?" 

“Brother, I’m fine… Just… Ow.” Roman mumbled, sitting up, holding his head as blood drained from his face, glasses knocked askew. Undyne was at his side instantly, the playful game discarded immediately, as Toriel stood and helped Gerard get Roman to stand upright before leading him over to the tree to lean against, Sans handing him a water bottle. 

“Ro, why did you faint? Are you dehydrated? Or was it heat stroke? Come on, you gotta tell me this shit, Roman!” Gerard demanded as he helped Roman sit back down, Toriel sitting on one side, Undyne standing over the trio, lips pursed in silent worry.

“More like a mixture of some mild dehydration and some mild exhaustion; I’ll be fine though. Honestly though, if you wanna talk about fainting, you should have heard what Undyne and Alphys were talking about earlier, which I won’t repeat because Milo is here.” he said with a weak smirk, though his sun tanned skin looked pale, and even his light shirt and boardshorts didn’t help, though he nodded grateful to Sans for the water, taking short sips. Alphys went beet red and Undyne sputtered uncharacteristically, the summer heat adding to her pale skin’s rapidly growing flush. It spread over her collarbones, bleeding from her neck like it were a scarf. Her black tank top did her no favors in concealing it. 

“What about my children?” Toriel demanded and Roman shrugged.

“They’ve been raised around what Undyne and Alphys were talking about; the anime was pretty good but some of the stuff was a little… Interesting.” Roman said with a small smirk, taking another drink of water and noticed the worried glances everyone was giving each other, rushing to add, “Don’t let me stop us from having a good day! I’ll be fine.” he waved away the concerned looks of the group, though it was only marginally successful.

“Oh, come on darlings! Sans and Grillby are his fathers, I’m sure he’s seen much worse.” Mettaton said with an eyebrow wriggle, noticing Roman’s attempt at steering away the conversation from himself, and Milo looked confused, tilting his head to the side. 

“Worse? What’s worse than kissing?”

“Absolutely nothing!” Grillby rushed to steer the conversation away from the road it was headed on, a sharp glare in Mettaton’s direction making him stop chuckling, though the smirk still lingered as Sans added,

“Well, shall we go and beat some carnies at their own games? Papyrus, Undyne, I bet I can beat you at a shooting game.” Undyne’s grin turned malicious and she cackled, shaking her head, grabbing her smaller wife’s hand as she proclaimed,

“No one beats the heroine! I shall win the most games for my lovely waifu!”

“U-Undyne, p-people a-are s-staring…” Alphys said, blushing to the roots of her hair as Undyne laughed louder, earlier embarrassment forgotten, and yelled,

“Good! They should know how much I love you! I shall show my love by winning you the most prizes!” 

“No one shall beat the Great Papyrus!” Papyrus rejoined, a playful glare setting across his face as Undyne gave him a look, her smile turning even darker.

“You’re so on, punk! Chara, Frisk, Milo! Come and help us keep score of whose a better carnival prize winner!”

“You two are gonna beat the stuffing out of the games, I can just tell. You’re both getting rather fired up over some shots fired.” Sans quipped as Frisk leapt onto Undyne’s back, Chara clinging to Asriel as the hacker stood and sighed, preparing to follow the pair and ensure that they didn’t get in too much trouble.

“Sans, no puns! I will not have you ruining this magnificent day, which is almost as magnificent as I, with puns!” Papyrus snapped, though he was hard pressed to force down his smile. Sans laughed and shook his head as Grillby chuckled, shaking his head.

“Aww, okay Paps. I promise no more puns. For now.” Papyrus sighed as Milo squirmed on his shoulders and cried out excitedly,

“Uncle Papya! There’s a dart game we passed on the way here that had a huge stuffed doggie! It looked like Mouse! Can we try and win it?”

“Of course! We must beat Undyne in her own games!” 

“Oh, wait for me, darling, I will not fail to see you beat her at her own game.” Mettaton said with a smile and with the grace of a cat, stood and brushed the grass from his shorts and shirt, stretched and looped an arm with Papyrus, tickling Milo’s stomach with a finger as he did so. The boy snorted and laughed as Sans relaxed into Grillby’s side, temporary and awkward crisis averted. Grillby huffed and feigned looking hurt as he asked,

“Not going to try and win a prize for me, darling?” Sans flushed a deep red at the nickname and shrugged.

“Eh, maybe not. You know me, I’m too much of a lazybones to try and beat a carny at their own game.”

“If you say you’re too lazy, then I guess you’re too lazy to claim your prize tonight.” Grillby said, lowering his voice so only Sans would hear him, his voice husked at the edges and Sans growled low in his chest as Grillby gave him a peck at the corner of his lips.

“G!” Grillby said, standing and making his way over to the other man, throwing a wink over his shoulder. “Come on, you and me are gonna go play some carnival games since Sans is being lazy. Muffet, Tori, want to come along and watch our little family shake this carnival of it’s top prizes?” Muffet giggled and nodded as Toriel looked thoughtful before shaking her head and smiling, adding, 

“I think I will stay here with Roman and make sure he doesn’t pass out again. We’ll meet you all again in a little while, yes?”

“I shall go with the others to be sure they don’t start a fire or suplex anyone or… Do anything that they would normally do.” Asgore said, standing and folding up the blanket quickly, tucking it into the backpack he brought. With a quick kiss to Toriel’s cheek, as Roman pushed his brother to Grillby’s waiting iron grip, Asgore went off to follow the others. Roman chuckled weakly as he leaned against Toriel, River tucking their legs underneath them and laying against the tree the pair sat under.

“Ro- Grillby, let me go!” Gerard snapped, trying to get free but Grillby simply smirked and tugged G upwards, walking away, Sans and Muffet a few paces behind him.

“Grillby, how are you stronger than I am?! How are you even holding me off the ground?!” G demanded, finally settling down after several off looks and long minutes of Grillby’s fast walking. Grillby simply smiled and hummed. Sans chuckled and added,

“Grillby is crazy strong, G. You should know better than to underestimate a target by their appearance; they will surprise you.” G rolled his eyes and simply settled in for whatever was in store, his tank top riding up his stomach, which already made him uncomfortable, but his jeans were also riding unusually high and he squirmed a few more times, trying to get loose. 

“Grillby, I swear I’m not going to go run back to Roman if you put me down, okay? My shirt’s a little too high for comfort and people are giving us really odd looks.” Grillby relented and set his friend down, helping him straighten his shirt, adding

“Sorry if I made you uncomfortable, G.”

 “S’kay. Just, next time, if there is a next time, set me down earlier. Please.” Grillby nodded and smiled sheepishly.

"Mom, those guys have funny eyes!" All three men froze while Muffet drew herself protectively in front of the other three as much as she possibly could; being shorter and leaner than two of them didn't do much, and as she drew level with Sans in height, she wasn't very successful.

 "Don't stare- I'm so sorry about her, she doesn't know-" The woman was clearly flustered, her hair in a bun but with stray hairs poking out here and there, her hazel eyes underscored with deep bags. There were faint bruises, like finger prints, around her wrist that she'd tried to cover up. Sans pushed down a growl. The little girl was staring at Gerard, Sans and Grillby like they were the most interesting thing in the world, her brown eyes wide. G smiled and kneeled so he was level with her and showed off his scar, smiling conspiratorially. 

"Like it? I got it when I was fighting a monster."

"You're a monster fighter?" Her voice, high pitched with youth, went soft with wonder and awe as Gerard nodded solemnly.

"It's very true. Not all monsters are bad, you see. But I'm a professional so I have to fight the scary things that go bump in the night, you know? I fought a big mean monster that was trying to eat my friends there," he jerked a thumb at Sans and Muffet, "And I got hurt pretty bad. But, remember, if there's ever a monster around they try to hurt you, you run to your momma or the guys like me, okay? Here, if you ever need something," he reached into his wallet, about to pull out Under Tale's card when a loud voice called,

"Jen," the woman flinched and pulled the girl behind her, to make her less of a target,

"Charlotte, there you are! I've been looking for you two everywhere!" It was a man with bright blue eyes and a nasty sneer across his face, his hair combed back and over like he was trying to be impressive. His hand reached out to grip the woman's wrist, the one already bruised, making her yelp in pain and fear. None of the other carnival patrons could comprehend what happened next. Grillby moved like a shadow just as Sans seemed to disappear and reappear right in front of the man just as Jen began to push Charlotte out of the way. G scooped her into his arms and turned so she wouldn't see the violence as Muffet slinked forward to the woman and wrapped an arm around her waist to catch her. Grillby took the man's wrist and snarled, the carnal expression in his eyes almost animalistic as Sans simply stepped on the man's foot and chuckled darkly as the man screamed in pain

"Maxwell fucking Carn, I am surprised you're out of jail so quickly. Picking up new victims, you sack of shit?" Grillby asked, his voice low and venomous as Sans calmly took out his phone and badge, flashing it at shocked on-lookers.

"We've been looking for this man for a while, FBI agents. Stand back please, there's no need to make a scene." He said, voice pitched in a friendly manner as G rocked Charlotte, the little girl, back and forth as Muffet easily guided Jen, the woman, away from the trio. Maxwell struggled against Grillby's hold as the man twisted his arms up and behind his back while Sans made a call.

"Hey, Jenna? Yeah, it's me. Carn get probation? No? Oh, a bounty? Really? Yeah, I'll tell you more when you get here. Poor woman and her daughter were almost assaulted. Yeah. Okay, thanks." Sans hung up and smiled, humming as Jen looked at them all in mild wonder, confusion and no small amount of gratitude.  

"T-Thank you... Y-You didn't have to..." She stuttered and Muffet laughed, rubbing her shoulder gently.  

"Of course we did, dearie! It's our job. I'm sure Sans here called a police friend of ours who will be coming to take out the trash shortly and collect a statement from you on his... Behaviour, but please, if you need anything, or he comes to bother you at all, or anything unusual happens, don't hesitate to call us. We are, after all, monster hunters."

She giggled, but there was a steely light in her eye's that Jen could see easily and nodded in appreciation, both for the offer and for the fact that none of them made clear reference to just what sort of 'monsters' they 'hunted'. As this was all going on, Gerard was rocking Charlotte back and forth, singing softly. As the action died down, he looked at the small child in his arms, he placed her to be no more than seven, and was greeted with an awestruck child.

"You're so cool!" She breathed, eyes wide. G chuckled and shrugged as Sans came to stand next to them, a smile on his face though it was forced, thin. He was doing a pretty good job of containing his rage, G noted.

"Nah, we're just doing our job as monster hunters sweetheart. Nothing special about that." 

"I wanna be a monster hunter!" She exclaimed, eyes wide as her smile grew. Sans chuckled and shrugged, shaking his head.

 "To patella the truth kiddo, eye think you have a real knack for people." She giggled, wriggling in Gerard's arms a little.

"Sans, Muffet and I will wait for Officer Hops and Officer Ivory at the entrance so to avoid a scene and we'll meet you at the dart game with everyone else." Grillby said, his voice tight with carefully controlled rage and Sans nodded, though he was obviously conflicted, 

"Uhm... Should I wait with you so I can talk to them as well?" Jen asked, tentative. She kept looking between her daughter and Gerard, and Maxwell, Grillby and Muffet, conflicted on how to make the situation work.

"How about this; Sans and I take Charlotte to win a few games, then meet you, Grillby and Muffet again? That way Charlotte gets to win a few prizes, she's safe, that asshole gets put where he belongs, you get some protection and everyone wins?" G proposed, a relaxed smile on his face as he hoisted Charlotte to his shoulders, holding onto her ankles to keep her from falling off. Sans gave Jen a smile and said, very seriously, 

"We won't hurt Charlotte and in this situation, she's probably safest with us. We're FBI agents, we'll keep her safe from anyone who means ill intention, she gets to have a good day at the carnival and when you come back, you two can have a fun day at the carnival. Actually," Sans reached into his pocket and took out his wallet before pulling out several twenties and couple of smaller bills. 

"That's ninety-eight dollars; use it however you need to get the fuck away from that trash." Jen shook her head vehemently, eyes wide as she protested, 

"I couldn't- That's too much money! I-I couldn't pay you back-" Grillby smiled and shook his head as he tightened his hold before explaining,

"We hate it when nice people are in bad situations. You don't need to pay us back; you just need to take care of yourself and your daughter. Take the money." Jen took the bills with a shaking hand, her eyes wide.

"Well, now that this has been sorted, shall we go and play some games, Charlotte?" She nodded and smiled, looking for the first time since the group had run into the situation, happy. Jen nodded and went with Muffet and Grillby as they half dragged half forced Carn through the crowds to the entrance, the man silent aside from hisses of pain, Grillby whispering in his ear. Sans snorted and shook his head.

' _Well, this had been a good idea._ ' He shook his head once more, smiling a little bitterly as he thought, ' _Well, we did do a good thing, so maybe it wasn't as bad as I thought._ '

"Sans, you in there? You're an astronaut." G's voice brought him back and he blinked a few times, confused.

"Huh?"

"You're spacing out on us, Sans. You okay?" Sans huffed and nodded, smiling. 

"Sorry for being such an astronaut, let's go win some prizes!" G smiled as Charlotte cheered and the trio started towards the booths. A very loud commotion startled them and sent both men into protection mode. That is, until the source of the commotion turned out to be Undyne and Papyrus yelling at each other as they took shots at a game. Undyne was, unsurprisingly, ahead, but Papyrus wasn't too far behind it seemed. 

"Undyne, that isn't fair! You chose the game you knew you'd win at!" Papyrus complained as the monkey reached the top of the pole where a bunch of plastic banana's rested. She smirked and posed triumphantly, glaring at him mock threateningly,

"Oh, is that a challenge for a rematch, punk?" She faux growled before grabbing Papyrus and putting him in a headlock, gently nooging him as Alphys, Mettaton and Asgore watched in varying amounts of concern and amusement while Asriel helped the poor confused carnie by choosing a prize from the top shelf.

"Please don't noogie the skeleton." Sans said as they got closer and Undyne released Papyrus immediately, her eye going wide as she stared at the strange sight approaching, as Papyrus tensed, looking around for the reason of the coded phrase. Asgore drew himself up to his full height, the kind look in his eyes vanishing as Asriel, Mettaton and Alphys shielded Chara, Frisk and Milo nonchalantly.

"Are they your family Mr. Sans?" Charlotte asked, looking at them all in mild wonder. Sans chuckled and nodded. 

"You betcha. There's no one better than our family, and you can just call me Sans. There's no reason to call me Mister when we just took out a monster." Undyne's eyes narrowed further as G signed quickly, 

 _Tell you more later, not in front of the girl._ Papyrus nodded and relaxed, prompting the others to as well. G lifted Charlotte off his shoulders as Milo crept forward, looking at Sans for confirmation. When he nodded and signed,

_She needs a friend._

Milo smiled and ran forward, Chara and Frisk following their younger cousin.

 "Hi! I'm Milo, that's my Uncle Papya, Uncle G, Auntie Undyne, Auntie Alphys, Uncle Asgore, Uncle Tonton, Baba, Asriel, and my cousins, Chara and Frisk! What's your name? How old are you? Do you like the carnival? Why are you with Baba and Uncle G?" 

"My name's Charlotte and I'm nine years old! They saved my Mom from a big monster! He was Mom's boyfriend but he was really man a lot and did bad things all the time and made Mom cry. I'm glad he's gone with the other monster hunters. I wanna be a monster hunter too!" Milo blinked before he smiled.

"My Dad and Baba are so cool, aren't they? Chara, Frisk, come on! Let's go win prizes with Charlotte!" Sans thanked his son’s quick thinking as the small boy dragged the trio off, prompting everyone else to follow. Asriel smiled, handing Alphys a very large, very fluffy, light green cat with large brown eyes and an anime-esq feel to the whole doll. Alphys squealed and hugged it tightly as Undyne ran after Papyrus, G, and the kids, Asgore jogging to keep up. Sans chuckled and looked around as he ambled after the group.

“Paranoia getting you darling?” Mettaton asked softly at his shoulder. Sans nearly jumped out of his skin, his head snapping to the side to stare at the other man. The Cuban just smiled and shook his head, red eyes rolling as a smirk crawled across his face.

“Really now, Sans. You can’t be so paranoid all the time. What’s eating you?” He shrugged and Mettaton huffed, crossing his arms and lightly hip checking him, though with their height difference it was more that his hips whacked into his lower arm and ribs. 

“Ow!” Sans whined, prompting Mettaton to huff once more.

“Come now, darling that barely hurt and you know it. Now, spill. What has you so frazzled?” 

“Just… We ran into Carn, remember that asshole? Well he’s out without probation, was beating a woman who he may have been dating, I don’t know the story on that one and frankly I don’t want to, and it’s just making me worry that anyone else that we know who’s a… Problem, might come back and ruin our day. Or our lives.” Sans couldn’t understand why the warmth of the summer day was slowly chilling, the numbness tingling in his fingers like frost bite as it moved up his arms, eating away at his skin and leaving gooseflesh in its wake.

“Sans, you listen to me.” He blinked and leaned back slightly to see Mettaton leaning down- No, he was bending so he was eye level with him. “Take a few deep breaths, tell me what I’m wearing. Focus on me, darling.” Sans did as directed, tasting the cotton candy, hot dog, grease laden air, underlaid with the smell and tang of metal, wet, trampled grass, and sugar.

“Good, Sans. Very good. Now, Sans, what am I wearing?” Sans reared his head back a little to get a full view of his friend, taking another slow inhale of the addictively familiarizing smell before he stated,

“Bright pink muscle shirt with a skull on it, black denim shorts, red converse. Your hair is tied back in a bun and you just dyed the a part of it pink.” Mettaton smiled and nodded, squeezing his shoulders -- when did he put them on his shoulders -- before straightening and standing next to him, linking their arms together and traipsing after the group.

“Just so you know, while your paranoia can be justified, there are days where you can relax. Like today. The sun is shining, bids are singing, flowers are blooming. Days like these, people like us should be-" 

“Burning in hell?” Sans quipped, amused at his own dark humor and Mettaton huffed, casting a worried look at his shorter friend and making a mental note to talk to Papyrus and Grillby about it later.

‘ _Later, though. Right now, cheer up the sack of bones and make sure the rest of the day goes smoothly as possible._ ’ With a determined nod to himself, Mettaton let out a long sigh and tugged Sans closer to hug him, slinging one arm around his shoulders and tugging him close. He managed to do it without breaking stride, though Sans nearly tripped over his feet at the sudden movement, again prompting Mettaton to worry as Sans was almost the equivalent of a ninja.

“Darling, Sans. I know that you’re freaked out. I know that you’re worried. I know a lot of what you’re feeling is justifiably based because we do a very dangerous job that may one day get us killed." 

“Mtt, you’re kind of sucking at the whole “pep talk” thing. No need to be so cold hearted, you bolt head.” Sans gibed, his attempt at punning on Mettaton’s past engineering and robotic interests falling flat as a two-dimensional plane. The look the man gave him said as much. Sans laughed nervously and directed his gaze to the stalls they were passing, though it was a bit hard to do was Mettaton had one long arm wrapped around him like an octopus.

“As I was saying,” He huffed, tone softening, “While all that is true and justifiable, we don’t have to worry all the time. We are allowed to relax, we don’t have to worry all the time. We can be happy, Sans. Let it go, enjoy the day. It isn’t a mistake nor is it a crime to enjoy yourself. Grillby and Muffet will take care of the ass, we’ll win our newest little darling some prizes, keep an eye on her and her mother after today and everything will go well. Now I do believe that I see Papyrus beating Undyne at a puzzle booth. Shall we?” He let go of Sans and held out his arm for the other man to loop his own through and Sans smiled, nodding.

“We shall.” He looped his own with Mettaton’s and let the other man drag him off to the group. Papyrus and Undyne were trying to beat each other at a puzzle game, which Papyrus was beating Undyne at soundly. He picked a lion rather was almost the size of Sans’ torso as a prize and handed it to Milo, who gave it to Charlette when she stared at it for a long moment then looked away, blushing profusely.

 “Milo?” She asked, obviously confused and Milo smiled, a small gap in his upper teeth from losing his baby teeth showing as he said,

“You look like you wanted him. Uncle Papya and Auntie Undyne will win a lot more prizes today. I can get one later, and I’m sure you’ll get a lot more too.” Sans felt something melt in his chest at the innocent exchange, which may have been a culmination of his heart and some of his paranoia. Charlette attached herself to the fluffy plush with vigor, a wide smile breaking across her face as she wrapped one arm tight around the lion and one around Milo, tight as she could while she practically tripped over her words thanking him.

“Thank you so much, Milo, I love lions! Thank you thank you thank you!!” Milo hugged her back, which was a little shocking given his weariness of new people, but Sans wouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth. Papyrus and Undyne exchanged a look before identical evil grins spread across their faces and Undyne loudly reclaimed a need for a rematch… That she was then beat at once more. By a rather large margin. 

“Frisk! What would you like as your prize, as you and Milo have yet to win something.” Frisk looked before they smiled and pointed to a stuffed creature Sans couldn’t see until the carney pulled it down. It was medium-sized, extremely fluffy, almost an aggressive shade of purple and appeared to be a platypus mixed with a panda bear.

“Er… Frisk… I don’t think that’s an actual animal.” Chara said, staring at the thing dubiously. Frisk merely stuck out their tongue and signed one handed,

_Well too bad. I like it and he shall be called Edgar._

“Well, I gotta hand it to you, sweetpea, allen the creatures to pick, you sure chose the most interesting,” Sans said, fighting a laugh. The twins, Milo and Charlette were laughing at the joke while everyone else groaned, fighting their own smiles.

“Sans, I thought you said you’d tell no more puns!” Papyrus complained as Sans shrugged, winking.

“Well, I did say “for now”. “For now” passed, Paps. It’s now not not “for now”, thus puns. Besides, I can see your smile.” Papyrus huffed and shook his head.

“Poe sure, Paps, I can tell quite a few of these puppies!” Sans said, fighting down his laughter as Papyrus groaned,

“Nevermore! Nevermore, I say, with the literary puns!” He cried before smacking himself in the face, causing the kids to start laughing harder as everyone else, Papyrus aside, laughed at the joke.

“Why are we telling literary puns, lovely bones?” Grillby asked as he, Muffet and Jen came up behind them. He wrapped an arm around Sans’ shoulder as Muffet handed G a large package of gummi bears, which the man tore open with fevor, letting out a happy noise as he ate a handful at once, Jen looking a little miffed at the whole situation.

“Paps won Frisk a stuffed Plata-Panda that they named Edgar, and Poe sure, I can come up with Allen puns. Thus, literary puns. Paps is just mad cause he’s making jokes.” Sans teased. Grillby smiled as he pressed a chaste kiss to his cheek and said,

 “That was a stretch, Sans.”

“Eh, you’re smiling. I count that as a win.”

“No, it’s only a win if I laugh!”

“But Grillby, a smile in a non-verbal, silent expression of laughter. Edgar, you laughed and I win.” Giggles met his pun. 

“Was that supposed to be a pun of ergo, Sans?” Muffet asked, her voice muffled behind her hand as she tried not to laugh. Sans shrugged and smiled lazily. 

“Yeah, but it’s not too good.” 

“Well, brother, I can say I’m glad you’re done punning! If you tell-tale one more, I’ll have to challenge you to a carnival game!” Papyrus declared before he face palmed and groaned as everyone broke out into a fit of laughter. Sans had to lean into Grillby’s side to stop from falling over, his husband wrapping an arm around him to keep him upright as he laughed. Mettaton and Muffet at least tried to hide their laughter behind their hands, while Alphys hid her giggles behind the large plush Undyne had won for her, Undyne herself smacking Papyrus on the back as she cackled, wrapping an arm around her middle while Asgore and G chuckled to themselves. The twins, Milo and Charlette fell into each other, a giggling mess. 

“Wow, Paps! I’m so proud of you for that joke!” Sans gasped as he calmed down. Papyrus huffed and rolled his eyes, though a smile tugged his lips upwards in a small smile. 

“Well I do joke brother. I have you as a sibling, how could I not?” Sans got a positively evil look on his face as he asked slyly,

“Could you say you even make them _periodically_?”

 “Well of course I do- Wait… God damn it, Sans!” Papyrus yelled, stomping his foot in his frustration, which brought a whole new wave of laughter across the group. As they calmed down, Charlotte took notice that Jen was back and ran over, a large smile on her face.

“Mom! Look what Papyrus won for me! Well, he gave it to Milo but Milo gave it to me cause lions are my favorite and he said he’d get a prize later cause Papyrus and Undyne were gonna win more today! Oh!! And Undyne is a heroine cause she has a scar over her eye cause she’s a pro-professional monster hunter too!” Charlotte exclaimed, dark honey blonde hair falling in choppy, pixie bobs as she jumped up and down in excitement, a large, sunny smile across her face. 

“Well, that was very nice of them, sweetheart.”

“Uh-huh! Oh, and they’re all so cool! Really, really cool! They all fight monsters! Oh, Mom! You should ask if you can work with them cause you hunt monsters in my room all the time and it’d be better than working at that smelly diner cause they’re mean there! But don’t worry Mom, you’re still the coolest!” Jen looked away, blushing from obvious embarrassment but Asriel swooped in to save the situation. 

“Hey, Paps, Undyne, Alph, Muffet, wanna see who can get more prizes for the kiddos? Oh, and there’s Tori, River and Roman. G, why don’t you come with us to make sure he doesn’t so something stupid?” G nodded and helped Asriel herd Chara, Frisk, Milo and Charolette towards the trio, who had spotted them and were waving to catch their attention. Asgore, Sans, Grillby and Jen stared at each other, Jen rubbing at her shoulder and looking at the ground in obvious embarrassment as she mumbled something.

 “Jen, I know what Carn did. I also need another waitress at my restaurant in Dover, as more than a few of my staff have pointed out, my restaurant is getting more noticeable and the workload is too much for so few of us to handle. Come to think of it, I feel like I’ve seen you and Charolette there a few times, around dinner rush.” Grillby said with a soft smile. Jen stared at him in mild shock, her jaw hanging open.

 “You-You’re _that_ Grillby? We’ve eaten at your restaurant a few times- I thought it was a coincidence-” Grillby smiled and held out a hand.

“My name is Grillby O’Cain, owner, bartender and cook of Grillby’s bar and restaurant. When can you start work?”

“You- What?” Jen asked, clearly confused. Sans jumped in with,

 “Trust me, he won’t let it go. My husband is a pretty good judge of character, and I think if what Charlotte says is true, and kids really do tell the truth more than they lie, then you could use a better job than the one you have. It’s not pity, or charity if that’s what you’re thinking.” He added after a moment. Jen still stared at Grillby’s hand like she was in a dream. 

“Why are you doing this? I’m- I’m a literal stranger. You helped me get out of Maxwell’s grip… You called the police and had him arrested, you took care of my daughter and made sure she was safe, that _I_ was okay, and now- Now you’re offering me a job like it’s nothing? Who are you people?” She breathed. Asgore chuckled and winked.

“Just some friendly people with the FBI. Well, Grillby isn’t. He owns a restaurant, a very nice one at that to boot. Now, I believe you were accepting a very good job offer. Shall we go and join the others, Sans, Grillby, Jen?” The woman, after a moment’s hesitation longer, nodded, the first smile any had seen from her crossing her face as she firmly shook Grillby’s hand.

“We shall.” Grillby smiled and squeezed her hand once before letting go and taking out his phone.

“We can exchange information, then I’ll forward yours to Fatima, Aaron, Maria, Blooky and Alice and they’ll introduce themselves pretty quickly. Quit your old jobs soon as you can, I’ll get your uniform if you can give me your shirt, pants and or skirt size, as well as shoe size. You can start whenever you walk through the door. Oh, and if you ever need to bring Charlotte with you, feel free. One of us is almost always on break and can keep her company. That and Chara and Frisk are usually there in the afternoons after school as it’s within walking distance from their high school, so they’ll spend time with her too.” Grillby said as he exchanged numbers and emails with Jen, who looked a little confused but nodded nonetheless.

“Don’t worry, you’ll be trained by everyone and you will be paid during the time. When you find something you’re most comfortable with, I’ll try to schedule with that task as often as I can, cooking, bartending, waitressing, hosting, etc. But I like everyone to know a little bit of everything, just in case. If you ever feel sick, or just generally upset, tell any one of us and we’ll cover your shift. If you can’t make it into work, tell me and I’ll make sure you’re covered.” Grillby gave the slightly frazzled woman a warm smile, his amber eyes open with trust and ease.

 “Welcome to Grillby’s, Jen.” Sans smiled and looped his arm through his husbands while Asgore gently guided Jen towards the rest of the group. Toriel had taken an immediate love to Charlotte, laughing and nodding as she spoke while Milo, Frisk and Chara egged on Papyrus, Undyne, Asriel and Muffet in a dart throwing game. Asriel was neck in neck with Muffet, Papyrus trailing closely behind while Undyne lagged just a few behind him, growling in frustration. G, River and Roman watched in amusement, calling out kibitz when needed, and though Roman leaned on G for support a little, the man looked relatively fine though his brother made sure he drank from the water bottle every few minutes. Mettaton and Alphys were nowhere to be seen.

“Oh, hello there dear! Your daughter is enchanting! And so intelligent and kind as well!” Toriel gushed as the small group drew near. Jen blushed and smiled,

“Thank you, I try to be a good role model. Glad to see it’s paying off.” Toriel hummed and nodded, taking in her appearance before pursing her lips Sans signed quickly,

_Took care of an abuser a little bit ago. Tell you more later. Or maybe you can find out more?? Single mom. Skittish, Grillby gave her a job at the bar._

Toriel nodded almost imperceptively before turning back to Jen and wrapping an arm with her’s, a gentle, motherly smile on her face as she lead the other woman towards the concessions.

“Gorey dear, I’m taking our new friend to get some food! Poor dear looks starved! We’ll meet you all in a few- Oh, there’s Mettaton and Alphys! If you haven’t met them you’ll love them.” Toriel’s voice trailed off to the distance and Sans smiled as Grillby wrapped his arms around his shoulders and pulled him close to his body as possible.

“Hmnn. You did a nice thing for her, Grillbz.” Sans said softly, watching Muffet crow in victory as she chose a large prize and Asriel picked a medium prize; Muffet gave her’s -- a stuffed saint bernard -- to Milo, who squealed and hugged the toy for all his worth, and Asriel gave his prize -- a white-blue dragon with black bead eyes -- to Chara, who gave him and the toy a tight hug.

 “Well I wasn’t lying when I said I needed the help.” Grillby said simply, shrugging before nudging Sans forward.

 “Come on, let’s win some prizes. I bet I can win more than you at that ball toss.” Sans grinned madly and laughed, prompting the others to look at them in interest.

“You’re so on.” 

“Oh! The great Papyrus would like to play as well!”

“Same here! You’re not gettin’ rid of me that easy, punk!” Undyne said with a smirk, her hazel eye flashing as her crimson hair, held back in a tight ponytail, began to blow in the breeze. 

“Asriel, Auntie Muffet, are you going to play too?” Milo asked as Chara leaned against Asgore’s belly, looking at their dad with wide, puppy dog red eyes.

“Dad, they’re gonna beat us!” Asgore gave a laugh and swung Chara into his arms, spinning them and setting them back on the ground.

“My dear, dear child, you must never fear.” A dark look flashed in his eyes then, and the smile while his bright and sweet, stark dichotomy to the murder in his green eyes was disturbing.

“Your papa will never let you, Frisk, Milo or our new friend, Charlotte down. Now, I believe there was a ball toss that they were going to lose?” Sans straightened and his smile became a little tighter, a little more venomous. 

“Oh, I’m not about to lose.”

“Really, punk? Cause I can beat you with one arm behind my back.” Undyne growled. Grillby smirked and laughed, amber eyes burning as competition rose.

 “How about this; loser is the person who wins the least amount of prizes throughout the rest of the day that we’re here has to buy take out for everyone at movie night.”

 “Oh, not gonna cook fire demon?” Grillby shrugged and smiled evilly.

“Even cooks need a break, and I’ve been dying to try that new Thai place down the road.” Sans nodded and smirked. 

“Well, sounds good to me. Everyone for themselves, the kiddo’s judge?” A chorus of agreement from the group and then there was a loud thudding of footsteps and shouting as they all grabbed their things and ran to the closest game. Sans, Grillby, Papyrus and Undyne reached the booth first, Asriel, Muffet and Asgore coming in close as River, Roman and Gerard brought up the rear, amused by their antics. Milo, Charlotte, Frisk and Chara ambled just in front of them, each holding their prizes to their chests.

“They’re some smart kids.” Roman said as he leaned against G, who smirked and nodded.

“No doubt; they get to win prizes that are normally near impossible to win due to their family being near ninja’s. Add in the competitive nature of the idiots and the carnies won’t have many prizes left.” River hummed as they added,

“It will be a good day, unexpected but good. I’m glad they are shaking off their paranoia, it’s not very healthy. Justified it may be, but it’s not entirely healthy.” G nodded in agreement, Roman humming as he took another drink of cool water.

“You sure you’re feeling alright, Ro?” Gerard asked and Roman bit back an exasperated sigh.

“Yes, Gerard, I’m fine. I swear.” He let go of his support and took a few steps away, walking around and showing off his ability to walk without passing out.

“I told you I was simply dehydrated.” G sighed but nodded, though Roman knew he was going to keep an eye on him regardless of what he said. River linked their arm with his, then with G and continued to walk them after their little family. Sans, Grillby, Papyrus, Muffet, Asgore and Undyne were in fierce competition as they threw baseballs at the milk bottles, Sans and Papyrus leading with five knocked down, Grillby, Undyne and Muffet with four and Asriel and Asgore with three

“Come on, you’re a professional Undyne! You should be able to do this easy!” Sans taunted as he hit yet another bottle. Undyne growled and shook her head, eye narrowed in concentration.

“Shut up, Comic!” Sans chuckled then scowled as his ball missed another bottle, putting him at six, Grillby, Papyrus, Undyne, and Asriel at seven, Muffet at eight and Asgore at an astounding nine.

“How the hell did you do that, Boss?! I call witchcraft!” Undyne declared though she was smiling at she said it.

 “Would it be witchcraft for a guy? Or would it be wizard craft?” Grillby asked as Papyrus piped up,

“How did you beat us, Asgore?! I know Flowey is very good at hitting target’s when he’s not being lazy but how did you do it?!”

“Hmn, I think it’s still witchcraft, cause it was mostly women who were proclaimed to be witches in the witch hunts. Men weren’t that common.” Muffet interjected. The poor carny looked mildly concerned as Asgore smiled and rumbled,

“Howdy, please ignore my family’s sense of humor they forget that people don’t always act the way we do. May I please have that lucky cat plush?” He asked, pointing to a relatively medium sized white cat plush with a red collar and a metal bell with large black button eyes and an upside down three for a mouth.

“Chara, as you suggested the game, this prize is your’s,” Asgore said as the woman took the plush off its shelf and handed it to him. “Now, who would like to chose the next game- Oh my, G, are you alright?” Gerard nodded, laughing hard enough to wheeze as the others had already moved on.

“I-I-I’m f-fine, Asgore. T-Trust me.” He gasped, laughing. “T-though it s-seems the other’s got a head start. Charlotte picked the next game ahead of you.” Asgore frowned and picked up Chara before jogging off to follow the group, leaving River, Roman and a hysterically laughing Gerard to catch up.

“Uh, is he okay there?” the carney asked in mounting worry as Gerard doubled over, laughing even harder. Roman sighed and nodded as River smiled, helping him to his feet. 

“Oh yes, he’s just living off life. Have a good day, tra-la-la. Come along, Roman.” The duo linked arms once more, River and Roman helping G walk as he gasped for air, still laughing. They began to laugh as well, chuckles at first before peals of laughter followed from all three as their small family competed to win prizes for the kids, or help them win prizes by teaming up. Chara and Sans were a team, Grillby and Milo were another, Frisk and Papryus were a third, and Undyne and Charlotte were the fourth, Asgore, Asriel, and Muffet taking a break to watch them win more prizes.

“You may be going a little overboard.” Roman noted as Grillby and Milo high fived Charlotte and Undyne for winning a giant lilac llama, while Grillby and Milo chose a Mew Mew Kissy Cutie plush for Alphys, Frisk and Papyrus picking a hammerhead shark while Chara and Sans went for an emoji pillow. The pattern continued for several more games; another dart game, where they threw darts at balloons, Undyne, unsurprisingly won, a fishing game that Grillby won, a math guessing game that Sans won with competition from Papyrus, who’d been three numbers off the closer guess, which Sans had. He won an entire foot tall jar of candy he promised to share. Grillby eyed the jar and cringed, obviously seeing the kids hyped on sugar. Muffet and Asriel joined once more to play a few rounds of a ring toss game, which Papyrus won, Muffet coming in close second.

“Alright, I think the kiddos are tired.” Sans said as Milo yawned, stifling a yawn of his own. Grillby nodded, situating the bags of prizes they’d won. The loser had been Asgore, as he sat out the last few rounds of games, though not fully receding from the bet. Charlotte had fallen asleep on Undyne’s back, a smile on her face as she clutched the lion Milo had given her while Undyne juggled the rest of her prizes, a satisfied smirk on her face.

“I owned you, Paps!” She teased and Papyrus huffed, smirking.

“No, I believe I beat you quite soundly the last two games and had you not hip checked me I would have beaten you!” Undyne laughed and playfully growled,

“You callin’ me a cheater?” Papyrus quickly shook his head, looking a little worried his friend thought so.

“Of course not!” Undyne immediately caved and rolled her eye.

“Alright, I’m sorry. Just teasin’.” Papyrus smirked and chuckled.

“Nyhehehe, I know. It’s just so much fun to make you worry.” Undyne blinked and stared at her best friend, slightly gobsmacked.

“God, I forget how devious you are sometimes…” She mumbled as Alphys, Mettaton, Jen and Toriel wandered over. Jen looked happier and Mettaton, Alphys, and Toriel all had murder in their eyes. Not that anyone but careful observers and their family could tell anyways, but it was a little jarring nonetheless.

“Oh, Tori, thank you so much for the advice-” Jen began but Toriel waved it away. 

“Nonsense. I love to bake. If you ever want some recipes, you have my phone number. Call or text anytime, dear.” Jen nodded and noticed Charlotte sleeping on Undyne’s back and the large amount of stuffed animals in bags.

“Well, you certainly don’t mess around, do you?” She asked and Undyne huffed a laugh, shaking her head.

“Nope. Where’s your car? Alph and I can walk you over.” 

“Oh, we’ll come as well, right Mett?” Papyrus asked, giving his boyfriend a look. Mettaton nodded and smiled. 

“Of course darling! Now, we’ll obviously be seeing you soon but really, if you ever need anything-” Mettaton’s voice trailed off as the group walked out of hearing range. Toriel turned to her children and Milo with a smile, clapping her hands together. 

“Who’s ready for pie and some good food?” Frisk, Chara and Milo’s hands shot up and Asgore raised his own as well, an impish smile on his face. Toriel smiled and kissed his bearded cheek, laughing as she ushered them towards the exit, calling over her shoulder,

 “We’ll have him back in a few days, promise!”

“Wasn’t he supposed to spend the night for just tonight?” Grillby asked softly and Sans shrugged.

“You know it’s summer. Let him spend the time with them. Plus we get the house to ourselves. Sleep in days, baby.” Grillby nodded and yawned as Flowey and Muffet bid them all good-bye and walked off towards the exit with promises of coming to movie night.

“Alright, I need to get these two home.” River said with a smile as Roman and G looked around, seemingly alert but slouching obviously and yawning.

“See you guys at movie night?” Grillby asked rhetorically. River smirked and nodded. 

“The world is ending, or someone’s dead if you don’t,” they said before guiding their friends towards the exit, an arm slung around each shoulder of either man.

“Today was a really good idea.” Grillby heard Sans murmur as he slipped his hand into Grillby’s. Grillby nodded and kissed him sweetly, once, thrice, five times on the lips before they began their own walk to the car.

“Today really was.” Grillby murmured, a smile crossing his face. That night, after they’d showered, fed and walked the dogs, and settled down for left overs on the couch while watching a movie, Grillby wrapped an arm around Sans’ chest and twined their legs together.

“Remember that promise?” He mumbled, voice echoing low in his chest. Sans hummed, half awake in the cool air and warmth radiating off his husband. Grillby chuckled and extracted himself, cleaning up the dishes, getting CB, Callhaen and Mouse to lie down, then picked Sans up and carried him up to bed.

“Course I remember. Why?” Sans asked, his own voice husky as Grillby slid into bed next to him, pulling him close enough for their legs to twine and their chests to press together.

  
“This is better.” He mumbled and Sans huffed, nodding as he settled in for a warm cuddle in a near freezing temperature room. After a long day, sleep with the man he loved truly was better. He pressed a soft kiss to his chest, before he turned his head and simply listened to Grillby’s earth pounding heartbeat as he fell asleep. This truly was better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wanna see a particular pairing or character? Want to know what made a character become who they are in this series? Do you want to see more? Want to know what happened in their pasts or what may happen to them in the future? Well leave me a comment! I love hearing from you guys and your suggestions make my day and give me ideas. If you haven't read the first part of this series, Heaven in a Bottle, Hell in Drowning Memory, you should go read that. This series makes no sense otherwise. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, that all is well and that I hear from you all soon!
> 
> -RR

**Author's Note:**

> Trigger Warning Explained:  
> -Gerard and Roman are threatened with possible prostitution by the rival splinter group  
> -Roman and G's parents are shot in front of them  
> -Gerard attacks and kills several adults with a sharp kitchen knife (he's ten, been trained to kill since three years old)  
> -G does anything he can to get money to get food for Roman; they were shut out of the shelter several weeks ago and there's nothing really for them to eat in dumpsters  
> -Gerard has an attack and is unable to breathe, even starts to cough up blood and mucus before Roman runs to get help, which is, coincidentally, Gaster and Calibre


End file.
